Just a Stranger
by PetalThorn
Summary: After falling to what appeared to be a Genocidal Human, Sans awakes to a timeline where the child hasn't harmed a soul. However, Sans is quick to learn that this is a timeline where he never existed, and no one knows him-not even Papyrus. Surrounded by familiar faces, he knows their names, and all their little quirks, but to them... He's Just a Stranger.
1. Instead of Dying

The light through the windows bathed the hall in golden light. There was heavy breathing, a hand of bone clutching a wound, red swiftly staining the formally white hand. He looked up tiredly to them, who stood before him. They were stone silent, watching him as he sat there, trying to take in another breath—each one more difficult than the last. Their clothing was covered in dust, and in their hands, was a knife stained with that same dust, as well as blood.

They stepped forward, their red eyes opening fully as they gave a silent, wide smile that sent chills through his bones. Sans took another shaky breath. How many times was it…? So many times, he had killed them, but they kept coming back…and now… His form quivered. They had finally won.

Sans coughed, pain jolting through him as he hacked up dust. It really was the end…and that child found merriment in his suffering. Slowly, to their surprise…he started getting to his feet. "… … … So…" The child frowned, tilting their head in slight confusion as he managed to stand, his breathing faltering as he struggled to speak.

"Guess that's it, huh?" he asked, looking down at his wound with that same old smile of his. He let loose another shaky breath. "…just…" He slowly looked up at them, his smile oddly grim. "Don't say I didn't warn you." He took a shaky step to the side. "Welp." Another step. "I'm going to Grillby's," he said as he started through a shortcut, his vision hazy, and for a moment, he swore he saw…

"Papyrus…do you want anything?" He flickered out of existence…and found himself in Snowdin. He was crumbling, but he still moved, trying to reach the building before him. He reached out, struggling to reach the door. It was empty…he knew that. However…it was his safe haven. He just, had to go…a little…

He fell into the snow, shakily breathing, his body starting to crumble. Still, he reached out, determined to crawl the rest of the way, if need be. There wasn't anything left to lose…he could just die where he was resting, but…even if it didn't change a thing…if he clung on a little longer, wouldn't he spite the human?

Just a little longer…couldn't he manage that? He reached a little further, before dropping into the snow. No…it seemed he reached the end of the line. Sans groaned, and rolled over. "Heh…" He laughed. "Hey Paps…don't let this _rattle_ you…but I've been worked down to the _bone_." The smile remained, but there was nothing but pain in his voice as he trembled over his words.

"Hope you don't give me a _skullding_ over this… _tibia_ honest…" He gave a weak chuckle, unaware that the King had fallen…and so had another. The world itself was ending…but Sans was oblivious to the facts. He gave a wide grin, ignoring the pain as death started to fully claim him. He was crumbling. "Hey, Papyrus…" he mumbled.

"That was my last show…" The voice dropped to a near whisper. "Hope you found it… _humerus_ …" Sans laughed, but the sound didn't hold its merriment. It was empty and hollow, and swiftly morphed into a choked sound of grief, pain, and anguish. "Papyrus…" His smile finally faltered. "I'm sorry…"

His eyes closed, as the crumbling continued. Sans drew his last breath…and the world ended. However, they happened in the same moment…and so just as Sans's form was about to give way fully…

Something refused.

There were voices…Sans could hear them. Had he fallen asleep…no, hadn't he been dying? "Hmm?" a familiar voice asked. "You see something? In the snow—oh—" There was a surprised gasp and something rushed over. "Hey—are you all right!?"

"Huh…?" That voice…it was…no, it couldn't be. He slowly opened his eyes, before they snapped open as another skull was directly in front of his own.

"Phew, you were just sleeping." The skeleton drew back, revealing the orange scarf around his neck. "Nyeh—heh—heh…don't worry me like that. I thought you were in trouble. You must be quite the lazybones to not manage getting over to a bed." He tilted his head, pausing. "Hey…are you feeling all right?"

Sans could do nothing, but stare in shock. "Pa…pyrus...?" he questioned.

The other skeleton gave a wide smile. "Wowie! You already know my name!"

Sans blinked in stunned surprise as his words registered. "Wait…" Sans groaned as he slowly sat up, and then pointed to himself. "You don't…know me?"

The taller skeleton shook his head, but his smile remained. "While I, the Great Papyrus, do enjoy making new friends, I'm afraid I do not know you. What's your name, Friend?"

He opened his mouth to reply, but was quiet for a few long moments. "…Sans…" he managed.

"Sans, hmm?" Papyrus asked.

He nodded. "Are you…sure…that you don't know me?"

"Absolutely. I don't anyways…" He turned. "Frisk, you spotted Sans. Do you recognize him from somewhere?"

The skeleton frowned at the foreign name, and turned to follow the skeleton's gaze—only to stiffen. Standing there, bundled in winter clothes, was a brown haired human. The attire was different, but…a chill rushed over him as he recognized the child. They looked up to Papyrus, and shook their head with a helpless shrug.

"I'm sorry," Papyrus said, though Sans didn't move his gaze. "I'm afraid even they don't know—and they're good with making friends. Isn't that right?"

The child hid their arms behind their back with soft little giggles of sheepishness, drawing circles in the snow with their foot. However, they paused when they noticed Sans's gaze. Papyrus blinked, and then looked back. "Sans…are you all right?" he asked. A million questions raced through the smaller skeleton's mind. Nothing made sense—but the child that had killed his brother was right there.

"Get…get away from them…" he managed shakily, as he got up, stumbling a little, though Papyrus caught him.

"Easy, Sans—what's wrong?" Frisk gave a concerned look and stepped forward, reaching out, only to gasp as Sana's eye began to glow.

"Papyrus—get back!" he shouted, blue magic taking his brother, and yanking him away. Papyrus yelped as he landed, sliding in the snow, while Frisk whined, stepping back as everything turned gray.

The taller skeleton swiftly got to his feet, racing back. "Wait! Sans—stop! They're not—"

Gaster Blasters fired…and Frisk was not prepared. Their heart shattered.

* * *

Frisk gave a choked gasp as they jerked away from the golden star, whipping about to get their bearings. Lesser Dog's station… They touched their face, breathing shakily. "Frisk!" They turned to see Papyrus, who rushed over, and scooped them up. "Oh my gods—are you all right!? That happened so fast—I thought…" They patted his skull, and Papyrus sighed softly.

"I know, I know…you can't really die…you just reset—but that doesn't stop me from worrying!" With ease, he placed them on his shoulders and started to move. "All right, the next time we get to Snowdin, I want you to stay behind—I'm afraid that 'Sans', was quite…" Frisk murmured the word, and Papyrus nodded. "Scared. Is there a reason for anyone to be afraid of you little one?"

The child reminded him that they were human. "Yes, but…most monsters don't notice that…" Frisk shrugged, but as Papyrus continued to walk, sliding through the icy path in the woods, they made a hum of concern. "Hmm?" Papyrus asked. The child was quiet, but when they spoke, Papyrus halted, staring forward slowly. "Frisk…" he murmured quietly, before turning his skull to look at them with a concerned gaze.

"What do you mean…?" He gave a long hum. "We tried this on just about everyone," Papyrus reasoned. "As far as we can tell…I'm the only one who notices what happens when you…get hurt like that." He shook his head. "Why would you think this 'Sans' would have the same thing?" Frisk shrugged, but insisted that with his behavior, they could confirm it themselves so long as they got back there at roughly the same time.

"Regardless," Papyrus said. "Once we get to Snowdin, I'll confront this strange monster, while you sneak back to the house, and lock up. Don't open the door for anyone except me…or Undyne. Just in case." Frisk whined at that idea, and mumbled that they'd reset if that happened. With how Sans reacted, they weren't sure what would end up taking place.

"I'll do my best to talk to him," Papyrus assured. "He seemed scared…and scared people do things they normally wouldn't." The skeleton gave a sheepish laugh. "You tried to hit me with that stick of yours when we first met, remember?" The child mumbled something into their hands as they hide their face. "Nyeh—heh—heh…"

"In short," he continued, walking across the bridge. "I'm certain if he's approached by a calm collected monster with clear reasoning, he won't be so scared…I'm afraid I don't know why he's so terrified of you—you're one of the friendliest people here—and you haven't even met him before. Wowie…"

He rubbed his skull with a hum of thought as he entered town, before swiftly darting to the side of the shop, and setting Frisk down, handing them a key. "Now go, all right?" he asked quietly. They nodded, but didn't move away at first, and instead, came forward, hugging his leg. Papyrus smiled, and ruffled their hair.

"Never fear, tiny human. I, the Great Papyrus, will smooth this relationship out—and hopefully start on the right foot this time. Now, run along." Frisk hummed, but didn't let go. The taller skeleton smirked, and tickled their sides, causing them to squeak, and fall into the snow. He stooped further down, laughing as they scrambled to their feet and darted away.

As soon as they were out of sight though, his smile faded a little. He came back around the house. It was early for the Underground, so not many monsters were even awake, much less wandering about. Though, that worked out for Papyrus. With that, he stepped forward.

He found the skeleton walking about a bit frantically, looking around, and when he heard Papyrus, he jumped with a whirl, raising an arm as he readied himself for a fight. "Wowie—! Cease fire!" Papyrus shouted as he raised his hands. The smaller skeleton blinked, and then shoved his hands into his hoodie pockets.

Sans leaned to the side, trying to glance past Papyrus as he looked warily about. Papyrus could tell he was anxious, his pupils darting about in his eye-sockets. Now, however, Papyrus decided to test Frisk's theory. "I haven't seen you around before," Papyrus said, taking a step forward. "Are you lost, friend?"

The skeleton jerked, a look of dismay on his face. "But we just…" He slid back, burying his face into his hands with a low moan.

"…you remember, then?"

Sans paused, and slowly peeked out between his fingers. "What do you mean?"

"You remember talking to me?"

"Of course I do, Papyrus—" Sans stepped forward, lowering his hands, his voice desperate. "Why don't you recognize me?"

"Easy there, Sans," Papyrus soothed, raising his hands. "I think we've both got a lot of questions to ask the other. You act like you know me, but I think I'd remember seeing another skeleton monster like myself."

Sans went to speak, and then paused, confused, placing a hand on his skull as he thought it over. "Wait…" he mumbled. "If I—then time reset." The skeleton was muttering to himself, but Papyrus was picking up on the words. "Yet…you still know my name…"

"Of course I do," Papyrus stated, slowly getting Sans's attention back on him. "I know this must be confusing to you, trying to understand how time is so broken here, but…at least you're not alone. I'm immune to when Frisk 'resets' as well."

"You…can remember?" Sans managed numbly. "…but I was the only one…"

Papyrus smiled. "Not anymore," he said. Then, he offered a hand. "You look a little lost and confused—how about we get you something to eat? I'm not much of a fan, but Frisk loves going to Grillby's, and he should be opening up shop soon. Maybe if you eat, we can talk a bit more. I've learned that food helps to calm another's nerves…"

Sans was obviously hesitant, but Papyrus was patient, waiting happily. The smaller skeleton wasn't sure what to think. That was his brother…why didn't Papyrus recognize him? But, it seemed he was willing to talk—perhaps he could figure something out. So, slowly, he raised his hand and took Papyrus's.

"Nyeh—heh—heh! See? That wasn't so difficult, now was it?" Papyrus asked as he gently pulled Sans along, though the other didn't offer much of a response. The taller skeleton didn't let that get him down as he approached Grillby's. He looked at the lights in the window, and then knocked on the door.

Sure enough, the fire elemental answered. "Greetings Papyrus," he said warmly. "I'm surprised you're here so early…" He glanced down to the smaller skeleton. "And without my number one guest," he joked. "Who is this?"

Sans's eyes widened while Papyrus explained. "His name's Sans…I was wondering if I could order him breakfast? I don't think he's eaten in a while."

"Sure," Grillby stated. "Let me get a menu—"

"No need," Sans murmured, looking down. "…could I have some French fries and ketchup please?"

Grillby's flames stilled briefly, and then he smiled. "Of course…anything for you, Papyrus?"

"Hmm…no, but a breakfast item for Frisk would be nice. I'll take it to them when we leave."

"Should have known," Grillby replied with light amusement. "Have a seat wherever you like, I'll get to work." As the fire elemental moved to the back, Papyrus led them to the booth closest to the windows, taking the seat by the window so that Sans wouldn't feel cornered.

He folded his gloved hands, looking to Sans. "Where do we want to start?" Papyrus asked. "Hmm…oh! What do you think of trading questions? I'll let you ask first."

Sans blinked rapidly. "Um…I…uh sure…" He rubbed the back of his skull nervously. "This is probably an odd one…but…don't you have any siblings?"

Papyrus shook his head. "Not a one," he replied. "My turn." His gaze softened into concern. "Why do you act like we know each other?"

Sans frowned, staring at the table, as if inspecting the wood. "If…I told you the most insane story…what would you say?"

"I'd probably say that's an insane story." Sans flinched. "But I'd believe you." Papyrus laughed softly. "After all, we both know about the time altering matters here—if there's anything more insane than that, I'd like to see it."

Sans winced. "…I think we're good. Um…" Sans sighed. "I…don't know what's going on. But…with how Grillby and you are…" He looked up worriedly. "Either I've been forgotten, or…" He shook his head, but then he paused, his pupils vanishing as he went stone silent.

Papyrus looked at him nervously. "Erm…Sans…?"

"Or…" he mumbled. "I've fallen out of my timeline…"

"Sans!" Papyrus quietly exclaimed as Sans was jerked out of his trance, his pupils returning. "I don't…I don't understand—what do you mean?"

"Wait…" Sans managed. "Let me ask a few…before I state what I think's going on." He looked up. "Pap…uh—Papyrus…do you live in the house pass the library?"

Papyrus nodded. "Yes. I used to live by myself there—but once Frisk came along, I set up the spare room for them. A woman I know mentioned that humans need lots of rest."

"A woman?"

The other skeleton gave a hum. "Right. To afford the house, I do a lot of shifts at different sentry stations. One time, my scarf got blown away in Snowdin, and I had to chase it down to the Ruin Doors. When I got there, I was complaining to it—and much to my surprise—a lady spoke to me through the door. I sometimes visit her and talk to her, as she seemed a little lonely."

Sans was starting to realize that with all those details…the idea that he had just been forgotten was less and less likely. "…have you talked to her since the human came?" Papyrus nodded…but it didn't ease Sans by much. "…why did you take a human in?"

"Because they were all alone out here," Papyrus said. "…and…" He smiled. "I made a promise. I'm going to protect them."

"I made a promise like that, too," Sans murmured, before looking up, the pupils vanishing.

 _ **"That promise is the reason I'm here."**_

The taller skeleton watched Sans's strange display. "Um…I'm not quite sure I'm following."

"I'm…from what you would call another 'timeline'," Sans said. "I'm not sure how it happened, but instead of dying, I fell into another…one where everyone is still alive…but I never existed."

Papyrus hummed, grabbing his jaw. "I must say, this is getting very confusing…what do you mean by…still alive?"

"Then, I'll make it perfectly clear," Sans stated coldly. "In my timeline. My friends…my brother…they were all killed by a human." He looked at Papyrus squarely. "The same human you're taking care of."

Papyrus was quiet—aside from the slight interruption of Grillby serving the food. The moment he left again, Papyrus finally spoke. "Sans—you must be mistaken. This human wouldn't hurt a fly—much less kill everyone."

"They have to be the same human," Sans insisted. "They can reset."

"Only because you took their health to zero!" Papyrus exclaimed in a loud whisper. Sans flinched, and Papyrus sighed. "Look…this might be better to talk about with Frisk around…if you don't pull that thing again."

"Heh…sure," Sans said, drenching the food in ketchup. "But um…just so you know, Papyrus…if they give me any reason…" He looked up with that chilling gaze, and while Papyrus didn't fully understand his tale…he could tell from that look, that this monster had gone through so much, and there was no guarantee that he could ever be who he had been before.

The pupil-less stare bore into Papyrus, and he was hesitant to let this emotionally broken being see Frisk. Sans, however, kept a wide grin as he drank some of the ketchup bottle, leaving a bit of red on his teeth, before he finally finished his statement with an odd lifeless vibe to it.

 _ **"I won't hesitate to do it again."**_

 _ **"I am not about to watch another Genocide."**_


	2. Reflex

Papyrus hesitated as he reached the door of his home, glancing back warily at Sans, who was staring silently forth, his hands hiding in his hoodie pockets. The taller skeleton paused, and then turned, arms folded as he caught an odd glow in the other's eye. "Sans. I mean it. No Gaster Blasters in the house."

"Only in self-defense," was his reply.

"Not at all," Papyrus insisted. "Frisk is a good human, and has only struck back when startled." Sans huffed and shrugged, while the taller skeleton sighed. At least they could reset… Then, he turned back toward the door, and gave a rapid series of knocks, as if tapping out a rhythm.

Sans's eyes darted to the window, where he caught movement, and heard light footsteps. The lock clicked, and the door cracked open, with the nervous child quietly peering through. Their eyes darting between the two monsters as they hid themselves as best they could. Papyrus knelt, and managed to get his hand through the gap, petting their head.

"It's all right, Frisk. I've talked to him a bit, but I think it might help if you were in on this particular conversation." They opened the door a bit more and beckoned him close, whispering to him. Papyrus then glanced to Sans. "They said they'll only let us in if you promise a cease fire."

The smaller skeleton huffed, looking to the child hiding behind the door. "Heh, fine." The child stared at him, and then slowly opened the door the rest of the way. Papyrus smiled, and headed in.

"Have a seat," he said, motioning to the couch, while Frisk instantly put the taller skeleton between them and Sans.

The small skeleton glanced around. The house was mostly the same, but he found that his pet rock was missing on the table, and as he moved to the couch, he noticed that even his book wasn't there.

Sans sat down, but saw that Papyrus was staying put, due to the child wanting to use him as a shield—scared of him, though they had every right due to Sans's first interaction with them. Papyrus then opted to move to the stairs, setting on one of lower ones, while Frisk sat behind him on a higher one.

Papyrus glanced back to the child. "You were right, Frisk. He's aware of the resets." Frisk made a sound of surprise, while Sans carefully watched the interactions between the two. "However, there's definitely a bit more going on," Papyrus stated, trying to help clear up what had been said earlier.

"It appears he's…not from our timeline." Frisk tilted their head, and made a sound of confusion. "I'm sorry, I don't really understand it all either."

Sans looked up. "It means I come from a world similar to your own, but key events are different, and the end result can be nothing like your own, or nearly similar." Frisk mumbled something quietly to the other skeleton, and Papyrus paused.

"I'm not sure if it would be good for you to know…"

Sans grinned, but it was eerie. "You want to know what timeline I came from, huh?" The child nervously peeked out, and nodded slowly. "Heh, what a riot…One, I'm from a timeline where I actually exist, unlike this one. All the stations Papyrus takes care of? That's my job there…but, unlike this one, things went very wrong. I wonder why."

Frisk slid further behind Papyrus for safety, and then whispered something to him. "They said that while they can reset and alter recent events, they're not fully following you on the timeline that you're talking about."

"Heh…if that's what they say."

"Sans, you shouldn't assume that they're lying," Papyrus chided with a frown.

"After what I've been through, I wouldn't trust a human even if it meant the end of the world," he stated flatly.

Papyrus huffed. "Maybe you should start at the beginning, and maybe we can help you. Possibly get you back to your timeline."

Sans was quiet for several long moments. "I'm not even sure if that's possible."

"What do you mean? If you fell into our timeline, you should be able to get back to your own—in theory."

Sans seemed to raise a brow at what Papyrus had said, but he then shook his head. "Unless you can reset my world…I think…I think I'll die if I go back—I remember…before I woke up here…I was…dying. If I got sent back—I think that wound would be restored."

"Then—what do we do, if you can't go back…"

"…there's nothing to go back to, regardless," Sans murmured.

The two looked at each other in concern, and Frisk shrugged helplessly.

Papyrus breathed out. "Well, it seems that you would be stuck in our timeline then."

Sans shrugged. "Guess so."

"Then…what would you want to do?" Papyrus asked.

Sans looked to the child. "I want to make sure that this timeline won't end up sharing the same fate, that's all."

Frisk shrunk out of sight again, not liking the cold gaze he was directing toward them. It was unnerving. It was as if he blamed them, and it confused them. They hadn't done a thing, and yet, they were being treated like a criminal by this strange skeleton monster.

"Well…" Papyrus started, and then scooped up the child. "If you'd excuse us for a minute…" With that, he flew up the stairs, and into his room, closing the door swiftly, and setting Frisk on his bed. "Frisk, I know he's rather…erm…how to put it…errrm…." Frisk nodded slowly anyways, despite him not finding the word he was looking for.

The taller skeleton sighed. "However, despite that…he doesn't have anywhere to go, Frisk. If what he says is true—and with all things considered, it probably is… He might know a lot of people here, but not a single one has a clue as to who he is…do you understand?"

The human nodded quietly, and Papyrus smiled a little. "You would still have your room—he could have mine, or sleep on the couch, but…would you be okay with that…?"

Frisk was quiet, and then nodded, before whispering something to him. Papyrus chuckled. "Well, hopefully, he doesn't make a habit out of doing that, hmm?" He ruffled their hair, getting a giggle out of them, and then, he stepped out of the room, looking down at Sans. "Well, friend, if you won't make a habit out of blasting Frisk's health down to zero, we have no issue with you saying here until you figure out what you want to do."

* * *

That night, Frisk tossed and turned in their bed, finding it difficult to sleep. It was always a struggle the night after a death. This child was no fighter, and had practically met death at the hands of nearly every monster, except for Papyrus. Even when they did fight—he stopped the moment he realized that they couldn't take another hit.

They huddled under the blankets, uncertain of what was going to happen. The skeleton scared them, and they weren't sure what else he might do with his obvious hatred for them. For the first time ever, Frisk had even locked the door to their room…but sleep wasn't coming, and when it did, it was full of nightmares.

Finally, they gave up, and got out of bed, adjusting their shirt, before heading for the door, deciding to go sleep with Papyrus. The child saw him as one that could chase the nightmares away. They rested their head against the door, listening. Nothing…

Cautiously, they opened it, letting it swing open before peering down the hall. There wasn't the slightest sign of life in the now dark house, since the lights were off. Frisk still found it strange however, that the outside light never changed between day and night. They tiptoed along, but they halted as they heard an odd sound.

Slowly, they peered over the banister to look down at the first floor. Tossing and turning on the couch, was Sans, an odd blue aura surrounding him as he moved, somehow not falling off the couch. Frisk bit their lip, and then headed for the stairs, slowly and cautiously creeping their way down.

They stopped at the bottom, hesitant to continue forward when Sans was obviously caught in a bad dream. Frisk slowly reached forward—only to draw their hand back, clutching the railing. Then, they swallowed, and crept forward, jumping back when Sans emitted any actual sound.

Finally, they reached him, and started to reach out to touch him, but jumped back, muffling their squeak of alarm as he tossed about again, mumbling almost incoherently, with the child only picking up a few words. "N…No…what are you doing? R—Run away—" There was a cut off sound of despair, and Frisk's heart decided for them.

They came forward, and tapped his shoulder…but nothing happened. He continued to be caught within whatever darkness was tormenting him. Against their better judgment, they grabbed his shoulder, gently shaking him, with sounds of insistence. However, he was hard to rouse, and so they shook harder.

When they weren't getting anywhere with just his shoulder, they reached over, fisting his hoodie over the chest, while still clutching his shoulder. Then, they shook his entire form, grunting as they did so from the effort. He may be small for a monster, but he wasn't much bigger than the child.

Finally, they shook him hard enough that he woke up; however, Frisk realized the critical error in their approach. Sans was in a panic, reality and dreams were still sewn into one, and even if they hadn't been—the sight of that human so close scared him. On instinctual reflex, he shot out a bone that they narrowly dodged. Yet, they were unable to get out of the way of the blaster that fired directly afterwards.

They cried out, their arms coming up as a shield—but it did no good. Their health was taken down almost instantly, and their little heart shattered.

* * *

Papyrus and Sans yelped as they landed in the snow, with poor Papyrus landing face-first into it. Papyrus didn't even need to look up to figure it out, and just gave a muffled groan, before pushing himself up onto his knees, trying to dust himself off—only to get knocked flat on his back by Frisk as they plowed into him with a little cry.

Sans jerked, instincts screaming at him to shoot at the little one. They were outside the inn, where Frisk had saved just prior to going to bed. They had gone back by a few hours… Papyrus slowly sat up, patting the child's back as he tried to soothe them. "There, there we go, little one. It's all right. The Great Papyrus is here now."

Before anything else could be done, Papyrus moved, and grabbed Sans's hood, yanking him up into the air. Sans made a sound of surprise as Papyrus raced behind the buildings and into the tiny patch of trees, before setting Sans down, and adjusting his hold on the child. "What did I say about that, Sans!?" Papyrus scolded with a bit of a hiss in his voice.

Well, with all things considered, Papyrus was taking it rather well… Papyrus pointed at the human. "They're a child, Sans. They don't have the best means to defend themselves—and they hardly even have the capability to hurt anyone."

Papyrus looked ready to continue, when Frisk whispered hastily to him. He listened, while Sans shifted awkwardly. He hadn't fully intended to hurt the child that time, but when he woke…he had so easily mistaken them for the other human that had taken everything away from him.

Papyrus looked at the child, and then at Sans, shaking his head quietly. "It seems we all need to be a little more careful." He looked back to the child. "From now on, how about you leave that to me, and you, Sans…" His gaze landed on the smaller monster. "I would very much appreciate if you would pay more mind to what you're attacking."

Sans slid a hand across his face with a quiet groan. "I swear to God, I didn't mean to…I thought they were…oh geeze…" While Sans was apologizing, it was more for Papyrus's sake, than the child's. He may not have meant to kill them, but he didn't hold any true regrets over that. His words here, were only to calm his brother.

Papyrus sighed, uncertain of what to do. That was twice now, and while Frisk wasn't holding a grudge, they certainly didn't appreciate it, and were still shivering and quivering from the shock of the attack. Dying and resetting wasn't a simple matter, and Papyrus knew that. He had eventually learned that every death hurt, and each one had an impact—part of why they struggled with sleeping each and every night.

Frisk whispered quietly to Papyrus, and slowly, the taller skeleton knelt down. "Sans…you've been vague with what happened, but from what we do know…we can understand why you…well, do the things you do, however…this timeline isn't like your own." Sans slowly looked up. "I suppose it would take some getting used to…but we really need to solve your 'shoot first, ask questions later' approach to things.'

Sans nodded slowly. "Sorry—it's reflex…I've spent god knows how long fighting…it's just…not natural to have any peace now." Frisk made a soft hum of concern as they rested their head on Papyrus's shoulder.

The taller skeleton adjusted his hold on the child, and then held out a hand. "…let's get home and try to get through tonight…again."

Sans slowly reached forward. "Take two, huh?"

"…let's just hope we don't have a take three."

"Eh…I'll try to avoid it."

Papyrus sighed, taking his hand, and leading him back toward the house, the little child already sound asleep in his arms, content with Papyrus holding them, which might as well been the safest place in the Underground to that little one. "Going to try to sleep again?" Papyrus asked once they had re-entered the house.

"Well, sleep isn't required for a skeleton monster—at least for my timeline…I think I'll pass this time around," Sans said. "I'll just uh…"

Papyrus shook his head and then sat down on the couch. "I don't think I'll be going back to sleep either," was his reply.

Sans rubbed the back of his skull awkwardly. "…sorry 'bout that…" The other shrugged while Sans plopped down on the other end like a rag doll. "Hey…" Sans mumbled. "…can I ask you something?"

"I'm listening," the other assured.

"About that kid…" Sans stared straight forward. "How far into the Underground have they gotten?"

"Oh, they got to Hotlands," Papyrus said off handedly.

"Then—how's Undyne?"

"Less murdery," Papyrus said, and then chuckled. "Frisk told me that she chased them all the way through Waterfall. Really, Undyne was certainly determined to catch this little human."

"Then, what happened?"

"Well…I was at my lower Hotlands station at the time…and Undyne was giving them quite some trouble—I remember things being reset constantly, until finally, they went running past me, and across the bridge with Undyne chasing after them, but…Hotlands is not Undyne's element, and she collapsed…"

"Kid kept running?"

"That's what you would think after you were chased around all over the place by her spears, but…no. Frisk stayed." Papyrus smiled softly. "They got her some water from the cooler nearby…"

"Really?" Sans asked a bit skeptically. "That kid actually stopped and helped her?"

"Of course they did," Papyrus said. "They always stop to help monsters they come across—even when they're all trying to chase the poor child down…"

"Huh…" Sans frowned, looking at that kid. There was no way…that was the exact child that had been running around killing everyone…killing him… And yet, there his brother was, claiming that this child spared every little soul. His brother could exaggerate…but he was no liar. So the question was…what was the kid even after?

Papyrus watched Sans quietly. That apology from earlier…he could tell it was just in the moment. Sans was still showing distrust and hatred for the human, but the current solution right now, seemed to be to tell Sans how merciful Frisk truly was, and hopefully, he would see that Frisk was a different human than the one he knew.

There was no way a human was aiming to do all of this and get nothing out of it. Not after what he had seen… "Then, seeing as I don't exist in this timeline for whatever reason…" Sans was quiet, while Papyrus tilted his head, waiting for the smaller skeleton to finally continue.

"How did you two meet? In my timeline, I had that sentry post you had, so, it sounds like the meeting would have been a lot different here…"

"Oh, you want to know how we met?" Papyrus practically beamed. "Nyeh—heh—heh, well you see…"


	3. Murdery Opinion

At this point, it couldn't have been more than a month ago, Papyrus realized as he thought back. Yet, it felt like the child had been here much longer than that. It had been early in the morning, and Papyrus had intended to speak to the woman on the other side of the Ruin doors. Yet when he got there, he heard unfamiliar steps approaching the door. Uncertain, he had hid himself in the trees, allowing himself to be unseen by whatever came out.

The door opened, and out stepped a small figure—far too small to be the woman he always spoke with. After all the time spent talking to her, he had learned to recognize the sounds of her approach. Gentle, soft, but large footsteps, the rustle of cloth, and sometimes he heard her soft humming as she moved along.

He tilted his head in confusion, watching them go, and then it clicked. That was no monster leaving the ruins. Papyrus covered his mouth to stop himself from making any sound as excitement rushed through him. It was a human! It was actually a human! He stepped forward, and then halted, thinking over his options.

Technically, he was supposed to capture them…but the woman…he remembered her once, sounding so sad and heartbroken, shakily asking him to protect any human that came this way. Caught between his duties and his promise, Papyrus opted for a middle road. He knew the last human who had come down here had managed to slay a few monsters…

He would test them. If they made it through Snowdin in a good manner—Papyrus would keep his promise fully to the woman… If they didn't, he would capture them, and take them to the castle. For while he did care for the woman…the safety of the other monsters was his number one priority. With that, he slowly started after them.

Frisk looked around the odd landscape, confused to how there was snow so deep beneath the surface. They breathed out, watching their breath form. Realizing how cold it was—they couldn't help shivering a little, and swiftly wrapped their arms around themselves. However, a loud snap caused them to jump. They whirled—and swore they caught movement.

They swallowed, and retraced their steps, looking down. A thick branch that they had stepped over was now splintered, the wooden shards all over the place. They looked around, trying to catch sight of whatever it was, but it seemed to be long gone. The child turned, nervously heading back, while glancing over their shoulder constantly.

However, when they got to the bridge, they looked forward, frowning in confusion at the tall posts that were there. Then, they stiffened, hearing footsteps approaching. They trembled, uncertain if they even wanted to turn around to see what was coming. The footsteps became louder, and a shadow fell over them. "Human…"

They swallowed, and the voice continued. "Do you know how to greet a new friend?" was the simple question. "Turn around and shake my hand."

Frisk turned; their gaze low so that they only saw the gloved hand reaching out. Slowly, nervously, they took it, gasping in surprise at the highly energetic shake that ran through their whole body, instead of just their arm. With a gasp, they looked up to see a tall skeleton practically beaming.

"Wowie! You really are a human! I must say I'm surprised by this turn of events, we haven't had a human come down here in a long time—I wasn't even around for that. I, little human, am the Great Papyrus! Do you have a name?"

They spoke quietly—too quietly, and Papyrus had to bring a hand to his skull, leaning close as they finally uttered their name. "Frisk?" he questioned as they nodded. He grinned, shaking their hand again—though more gently. "Well, it's great to meet you. What are you doing down here, though?"

The human quietly explained their issue with trying to escape the mountain. Papyrus gave a soft hum. "Well, you're going to have to get through Snowdin—that's this whole area here," he explained. "Here, go on across the bridge…I may have made the gaps too wide to do any good here."

There was a faint trace of a smile on the human's face as they went through the gaps, and they headed up the path, though the child paused at the sight of an odd structure. "Oh, that's a sentry station," Papyrus said. "That's what I typically do. I'm actually a sentry for nearly five areas of the whole Underground."

The child looked up with a sense of awe, staring at the skeleton. He smiled, and knelt so that he was closer to the child's eye level. "Actually, I'm on the lookout for humans. I'm supposed to capture them, and take them to our King…" Frisk bit their lip nervously. "However, I'm very fair," the skeleton continued. "I have puzzles to challenge humans that come through Snowdin. Solve them, and I'll let you through to the rest of the Underground."

At first, the child wasn't so sure about the idea, but they realized that if Papyrus had meant them harm, he could have easily captured them without the slightest struggle. So, they smiled a little, and nodded. "Nyeh—heh—heh, so the human accepts the challenge! Then, I'll meet you up ahead, now run along; I've got some stuff to do here!"

With that, the child raced ahead. Papyrus smiled, watching, and then turned, walking away. Eventually, the two met again, as Frisk finally stumbled to his puzzles. He had watched them carefully as they spared every monster that came at them—ready to intervene when things looked like they'd get out of hand.

The puzzles themselves were just shenanigans between the two, with puzzles often going awry, but the child's innocent laughter at the silliness made it go down a bit better. The more they went on with it, the more Papyrus was certain that he just couldn't capture them. They were too nice—and he wasn't quite sure what would happen to them if they were taken to the kingdom, but he did know that he would likely never see them again.

So when they tried to leave Snowdin, he stood in their way. He tried to weave words about, to persuade them to stay here, but when they insisted to continue on, he sighed. "Human, if you wish to continue through here—you shall have to pass me, the Great Papyrus!"

And with some slightly underhanded tactics…they did. After that match, Papyrus felt slightly defeated. He couldn't even take them on with his full abilities, but the little child came forward to the lonely skeleton with a smile, and had quietly stated that they thought he was cool…and that they'd be his friend.

It didn't end there though, for the human was exhausted, and drained, and for the first time, Papyrus picked them up. "I don't know much about humans—but I do know a bit about children, and children need their rest. Nyeh—heh—heh, do not fear, the Great Papyrus has a place where you can rest safely without worry."

And that was how the child had started to live with him.

* * *

The next day, the child insisted on continuing forward, but, Papyrus knew they needed to eat—and they had made a point that they wanted to try Grillby's. It was there, that they had talked—or at least, Frisk listened. Papyrus had a small concern, and Frisk was sure to keep an eye out for it.

After that, they headed to Waterfall, with Papyrus leaving them at his other sentry station, knowing there was something he had to do before they got too far—and he had even instructed them to wait a few minutes. For he had to go and meet Undyne, and explain himself, because he was sure someone would have spread word of a human.

He had been right, for Undyne had quietly questioned him why he hadn't called or said anything if there had been a human running around, but before he could give all his reasoning, Undyne had heard rustling in the area below…and the sound continued. The two had approached the ledge, looking down below to see what had caused the sound.

Down in the long grass, Frisk stepped out, oblivious to the dangers. They had waited, but eventually continued forward, neither realizing that they had needed more time for the area to be safe enough for the child to travel. Undyne didn't hesitate, much to Papyrus's horror. She raised a spear, and that was when Frisk finally realized that there was even trouble.

Yet, it happened far too fast for either of them to stop it. Undyne had thrown a spear, jumping down as she formed another. Not expecting the strange attack, Frisk got hit, and more spears followed, and their health swiftly became nothing. "FRISK!" Papyrus had cried out, as their little heart shattered—and he found himself at his Waterfall station, standing abruptly in a panic.

He was dazed, confused, looking around, and then saw the child sitting on the ground, clutching at their chest as they breathed frantically. Not even taking a moment to sort things out, Papyrus grabbed them and rushed through the door behind his sentry station, hiding with them in a little cavern room. "Frisk—oh my god—are you all right!?"

Frisk shakily looked up, back to their hands, and then to him once more, raising them to show that they were fine, but they were breathing shakily, and then Papyrus frowned in confusion. "How…how are you not hurt—I saw—oh gods, I'm so sorry…I didn't think she would actually…"

The human shook their head and simply hugged him, mumbling that they didn't know. Frisk had felt those spears pierce them—they felt themselves die, and yet…here they were, safe and sound. Papyrus looked about in confusion. "And we're back at my station…" he murmured. He sighed, slowly sinking down with them in his hold. "Frisk…Undyne—the one who uh…she's…got a very…erm…murdery opinion on humans…"

Frisk looked up in confusion and concern. "What I mean is…she really dislikes them—but if she learned that you weren't so bad…maybe…" Frisk clung to him though, uncertain if they should risk it. That fish warrior was probably scouring the area for them right now… There was a ringing, causing both of them to yelp in alarm.

Papyrus realized it was his cell phone, and hastily grabbed it. "Err—yes?" he stammered.

"Papyrus?" asked a confused Undyne. "Where are you? You're never late…"

"Late?"

"Or forgetful. You're supposed to meet me, remember?"

"But wasn't I…?"

There was a pause. "Papyrus, are you feeling all right? I know I haven't been able to talk to you in the past few days, but…" Something clicked for Papyrus.

"N—no, I'm fine. I'll be there soon, I just got…caught up in some things."

"All right, I'll be there waiting."

Papyrus hung up, and then looked down at the child in awe. "Frisk…when you…lost your health. You didn't just send us back to the station. You…wowie…I can't believe it. You took us back in time—I haven't seen Undyne yet!"

Frisk jerked in surprise, looking around wildly, and them up at him, pointing at themselves in bewilderment. They what now? "You mean…you don't know?" the skeleton asked. They nodded slowly. "Wowie…all right…stay here, I'll come back soon, we'll talk this over then."

That was the first time a reset had ever happened.

* * *

Unfortunately, it wasn't the last time. Reasoning with Undyne had been fruitless, so she still sought out the human, but Papyrus was wise, sheltering the child in Snowdin a while longer until she blew off some of her steam. A week later, in the early morning, Papyrus headed for his Snowdin station, but instead of stopping there, he went past it, and headed for the Ruin doors.

Right away, the skeleton knocked upon the door. "Hello?" he called. "Are you there?" Initially, there was no response, so he sat down, back against the door. "Well, no worries, if you aren't yet. My shift won't start for a little while, so you have all the time until then to come and talk. Besides…if you are there…and I, the Great Papyrus, have a feeling that you are…we have something important to discuss. So…"

"…something important?" came the soft quiet voice.

"Nyeh-heh! I knew you were there!" the tall skeleton proclaimed. "You cannot hide from me." There was a quiet sigh from the other side of the door, while Papyrus looked up at the cave ceiling as snow fell lazily down. "You haven't been like this since we made that promise…you're worried about the human you let through?"

There was a soft gasp. "You saw them? Are they…oh gods…"

"They're all right," Papyrus assured. "And…I think they're rather nice. They came through here, and they were so kind to the monsters—nothing like what I heard about them…"

"…thank you," came a relieved voice from the other side. "I was so worried that they'd already be…do you know what they're doing now?"

"Sleeping at my place." Papyrus chuckled. "They tired themselves out from trying to solve puzzles, and get past me when I wasn't sure if they could handle themselves further in the Underground."

"Have they had any real problems?" the woman asked.

"Not exactly. They're able to persuade most monsters to leave them be in just a few minutes." The other conflict basically didn't happen, so Papyrus wasn't sure if it was technically still a true event to talk about. "And, I'll look after them still, and do what I can to help them."

"…thank you so much…for doing this."

"It isn't a problem, but…don't you think, if you're that worried, that you should come out here and look out for them?"

There was a quiet pause, and Papyrus lowered his head. "It's all right if you don't wish to do so…I don't know what's out here that you're trying to stay hidden from, but I'll watch out for the human until they make it out—or you decide to come out of hiding. You know I'd actually like to meet you sometime…"

"…maybe one day…outside of these Ruins…it is no longer my place."

"Maybe not, but it's partially my place, and you are always welcomed."

There was a soft little laugh, but still, she remained hidden.

* * *

And so, that was how it stayed, with Papyrus giving her updates on how Frisk was doing when he could, but otherwise, things went simple enough, as Frisk slowly made their way through Waterfall, returning to Papyrus whenever they grew weary. It wasn't until they ran into Undyne again that the resets happened. It unnerved the skeleton, when in just a few minutes, time would keep going back, and it wasn't enough time for him to do anything.

He was glad when that was over, but there was certainly an issue later on. Frisk did go into Hotlands, but after an incident there, they were terrified to continue through. It was when they were navigating via the vent shafts. Something went wrong—horribly wrong—and instead of landing on the next platform—they were flung head long into the lava below.

After that, they had stayed clear of the area—though when Papyrus had found out, he had swiftly informed Alphys of the malfunctioning vent, and while it was fixed, Frisk absolutely refused to go anywhere near Hotlands. Instead, they spent their free time befriending Undyne, and sharing their time with either the fish monster or Papyrus.

Frisk still wanted to leave the Underground, but was set on waiting until the elevators were fixed which, oddly, didn't seem to be anytime soon. Frisk had mentioned to Papyrus that they were broken when they went to Hotlands, but because their death sent them back to before they entered the lab, Alphys remarked that they weren't broken, but that she'd double check on them.

Yet, with the Royal Guards patrolling Hotland even more so than before, Frisk was content to stay far away from there until something else could be figured out. They didn't go into detail, but they made it clear that the death they experienced there had been unpleasant, and they wanted nothing to do with it ever again. They'd take fighting Undyne any day over their plunge.

Not that Papyrus minded too much. He liked spending time with Frisk, who would shadow him around to most of his stations, and then, when he was in Hotlands, they'd wander off to hang out with Undyne, who liked to attempt teaching the child to cook…and somehow, didn't burn her house down in the process.

Though that wasn't to say that the food actually came out unscathed…

Yet, Papyrus found that he would also spend more time with Undyne due to the child, and even if Undyne was a bit wild, she was fun to be around, though she would take anything as a challenge, and had initiated some…dangerous snowball fights that Papyrus and Frisk teamed up for just so that they stood something of a chance.

Thankfully, with Papyrus's levitation abilities, it wasn't completely unfair.

"And…" the present Papyrus looked back to Sans. "That's…basically what's happened up until now…"

Sans looked at the sleeping kid. "…guess you're one lucky Papyrus," he said. "The kid from my timeline was nothing like that." His pupils vanished.

 _ **"Not in the slightest."**_


	4. Genuine Smile

Papyrus breathed out slowly as he held the child. "But I wouldn't know that," he replied. "This is the Frisk I was with…and I can't see them being anything like the child you described…or see how a human child could even manage to kill monsters. Frisk is too small…"

"They're human, Papyrus. They're physically more durable than us. I saw them take down Undyne in my dimension…and she was stronger then, having…taken some precautions to go against the human."

"Was it…really Frisk?"

"Brown hair, blue sweatshirt with pink stripes…"

"Brown eyes?"

"Huh?" Sans asked, jerking in confusion. "Brown eyes?"

"Yes. Did they have brown eyes? I know it's hard to tell with Frisk, but they have brown eyes."

"You're positive?" Papyrus nodded. Sans sighed, sliding a hand down his face. "…red. Mine had red eyes."

"Then they may have been someone else," Papyrus reasoned.

"Isn't the rest too coincidental though?" Sans argued. "Same hair, skin, and attire?"

"For all we know, all humans have brown hair and wear striped sweatshirts."

Sans raised a hand to argue, but as he went to speak, he paused. "…I actually can't argue with that right now…" It wasn't like he had any other reference to go by…

"Just give them a chance," Papyrus insisted.

Sans sighed. "I…I'll try," he mumbled. Then, the smaller skeleton decided to switch topics. "So…what are you trying to do here…in this timeline?"

"I don't know how different it is from any others…I'm working to get into the Royal Guard."

"So you're a sentry in Snowdin again…"

"Not just Snowdin, as I said I take care of stations in Waterfall and Hotlands as well."

Sans sighed. "You had all my jobs. I usually handled the stations…you were just the puzzle maker…"

"Wowie, you ran those stations in your timeline…"

Sans shrugged. "No big deal…it was just to pay for things. …Undyne training you?"

"Yeah—she's really good at it—and it's better now that she isn't trying to chase Frisk all over the place, but she…is still dangerous. She has an odd definition of…fun."

Sans gave a snort. "Sounds like her all right…"

"What about you?" Papyrus asked.

"Me…?"

"Yes, what did you try to do in your timeline—before that human came, I mean."

Sans was quiet for a bit, slumping in his seat as he tried to think of an actual answer. "…I dunno," he finally admitted. "…it's felt like years since then. Getting up to the surface wasn't all that appealing anymore…when I learned it could be reset, that it could be taken all away…there was something else I was working on, but, now that I'm no longer in that timeline…it doesn't matter anymore either."

Papyrus looked ready to say something, but for once, the energetic skeleton became somber, and instead, stayed silent. Sans didn't continue either, his eyes drooped, but not out of exhaustion. It just didn't matter. Everything he had ever fought for…it meant nothing now that he was no longer a part of that world.

He was back at the starting point—except, that was worthless too, because anything he had ever done didn't even exist in this timeline. He was a stranger amongst familiar faces, and he found that to be a worse fate than death. His brother was right next to him, and while Sans knew a great deal about him…they might as well still be complete strangers.

Sans blinked a few times as something began to move in his line of vision. He focused on it, and realized it was a remote being held by blue magic. "Huh…?" He looked over to Papyrus.

"So long as you keep the sound down, it should be all right," he murmured. "There isn't much on, but…"

He quietly took the remote, looking at it, before turning the television on, instantly muting it, and flipping through channels, until finally, something caught his attention. Papyrus smiled a little. It wasn't much, but he didn't like how Sans was drowning in his thoughts. He wasn't sure what he could do for the other skeleton…

* * *

The rest of the night passed without incident, with Papyrus somewhat dozing as Sans quietly watched the television. Eventually, morning came, and once the child awoke, he set to making breakfast, while Frisk heading upstairs to their room.

When breakfast was finally ready—spaghetti of course—Frisk came down with a piece of paper as they all sat on the couch, with Papyrus in the middle. He offered a plate to Frisk, who insisted trading him for the paper they held. "Hmm, what is this, human? Another drawing?"

They nodded, and beckoned him closer, explaining it. Papyrus looked back down at the picture, blinking a few times. "Well…" He glanced to Sans, who looked up in bewilderment. "Apparently, they got this idea from a movie they saw before they fell into the Underground." Then, he showed the picture to Sans.

It was crudely drawn—but that was to be expected from a child their age. Sans looked at it, turning it slightly to make sure he was looking at it right. It seemed to be him…though he mostly gathered that because his name was messily scrawled on the paper.

It wasn't colored for the most part, except about half of him was colored in red from the waist down. "Uh…"

Papyrus sighed. "Frisk said it's called a badness level chart, of some sort…the more red the more…"

"Oh…"

"I think you shouldn't have blasted them twice in a single day…"

"Sorry…"

"I mean…that's a lot of red for someone your height…"

There was an odd sound, and the two looked to see the child laughing quietly. "Wh—what?" Papyrus asked. "What did I say!?"

They only laughed harder, and in the end, refused to explain to the two over what they found utterly hilarious.

The two looked to each other, and Papyrus shrugged helplessly.

* * *

It was much later that Sans was kneeling in front of the TV, poking at an old video player, muttering to himself. He wasn't really sure what he was even trying to do. He was bored out of his mind, and trying to occupy himself so that his thoughts wouldn't go elsewhere.

He sighed, looking at the empty video player. Why did he expect there to be anything…he didn't exist here, so any possible videos that were there probably didn't get into the house in this timeline.

Something fell behind him, and Sans gave a shout, his magic activating as he teleported, and suddenly found himself grabbing for the railing as he fell, now above the room, but on the wrong side of the railing. Down below was the child who had now fallen back along with the books they had dropped, a squeak of alarm having escaped them from the display.

"Frisk?" Papyrus poked his head out of the kitchen, hurrying over to them to get them off the floor. They pointed up, and he turned to locate the small skeleton dangling. "Sans! What are you doing up there!?"

"Oh, just _hanging_ around, don't mind me…"

"Oh for goodness sake, I can't keep my eyes off you two," Papyrus said. "I'm coming," he said, starting for the stairs.

Sans blinked in surprise. "W—wait…Papyrus…?"

"What?" the skeleton demanded as he stopped on the bottom stair.

"You didn't catch that?"

"Catch what?"

"The pun…?" Sans asked slowly.

Papyrus blinked. "What the heck is a pun?"

"You don't know?" Sans asked in bewilderment.

"No, I don't. Aside from Undyne and Frisk, I haven't talked to that many…"

The small skeleton thought back to it. True, their lives before Snowdin were a foggy mess. If Papyrus had it somewhat similar, and the woman didn't openly share her humor…Though regardless of the details, Sans stared and couldn't help a genuine smile. "Oh my god…I ran into a Papyrus that doesn't know about puns yet…"

"What is a pun?"

Sans smirked, slowly pulling himself up, sitting on the railing. "Well, I'll warn you, when I told my Papyrus a pun, he'd be… _railing_ about it for quite some time."

Papyrus frowned. "…railing…why…why did you say it like that? That's ridiculous."

"That's what a pun is," Sans said as he slipped off the railing and onto the floor as he headed for the stairs. "It's a play on words, but knowing you…" He started down the stairs. "You'll want me to _step_ down…"

"Okay, those puns are annoying, would you stop that?" However, he jerked his head at Frisk who was muffling their giggling. "H—human! Why are you laughing? I don't see what is funny about this!"

"Well, at least this kid finds things _humerous_ …"

"Sans, seriously. Stop it."

"Oh, come on, Papyrus," he said as he reached the bottom of the stairs. "I have a skele _ton_ more."

"Oh that is it!" Papyrus snatched him up. "Frisk, I can't quite remember why we took him in, but I can't handle these 'puns'!" He marched to the door, not truly meaning to kick Sans out, but to at least get him away for a bit, but to their surprise, laughter filled the air, and the two stared at Sans as he laughed at the whole thing.

It was the first time he was something other than cold and blunt to Frisk…and so, who were they to stop the enjoyment? Even if Papyrus realized he would have to suffer quite a bit. He didn't know why, but the word play was horrible to him. However, he relented, a bit of a smile on his face as he lowered the skeleton. He'd survive, somehow.

* * *

In the late afternoon, Frisk came back inside as Papyrus finished cleaning up from dinner. "Did you save?" he called to them. They gave a sound of acknowledgement, and then happily sat down on the couch, while Sans looked up to Papyrus as he handed him another plate.

"What are they so excited about?" he asked.

"Undyne is coming to visit—which is why they saved beforehand…"

"…you sure that's a good idea, even if they saved?"

Papyrus gave an exasperated sound. "She at least tries to not break everything…"

"Trying to not break something and actually not breaking something are two completely different things with Undyne," Sans pointed out.

"True, but I like giving her the benefit of the doubt!"

"Gee, you give quite the benefit…"

"Sans!" Papyrus lightly scolded.

However, before he could continue, there was a loud knocking. Frisk gasped and ran over to the door, squealing in excitement. They were bouncing up and down as they opened it. "Hey, there, Punk!" Undyne greeted as she stepped in, the door closing before she slipped off her jacket. "Miss me?"

Frisk laughed and hugged her leg, with the fish monster seeming to chuckle slightly. "Seriously, Punk, you're hopeless. Yo, Pap, I'm here—" She paused and then blinked in confusion. "Who's that?" she asked.

"Oh, right." Papyrus stepped forward. "Sans, this is Undyne—" _Obviously…_ he muttered to himself. "Undyne, this is Sans. He's…staying with us for a little while."

"Cool," she said. "So, I guess he…and the punk…"

"Yeah, I know," Sans finally said.

"Figured," she replied. "Lots of monsters have caught on about Frisk, but…" She laughed. "The punk is too nice so no one bothers them anyways!" She ruffled their hair roughly. "Seriously, this Kid is not going to fight their way to the castle, they're just going to waltz there, and knock politely on the door, and then somehow just sit and have tea with our King."

"If they get through Hotlands," Sans stated simply, ignoring the half-hearted glare from Papyrus.

Undyne snorted. "It'd help if they fixed the elevators already…the Punk isn't going until they're fixed."

Frisk nodded, still hugging Undyne's leg, even when she started to gently nudge them off. "Okay, Punk…hugging time is over…seriously…let go…" She sighed, and walked over to the kitchen as if there was nothing on her leg at all. Frisk giggled at the ride. "Crowbar?" she asked Papyrus.

"Sorry, it's in the back, I was…using it for something."

Undyne groaned. "Looks like the punk wins…"

Frisk simply laughed at the accomplishment.

However, her smirk swiftly reappeared. "Yeah, you win, punk. Good for you, but…I can't get you the surprise if you're clinging to me like that." Papyrus had to choke back a laugh when she got the child's attention.

Frisk stared wide-eyed, and then released, falling down with a little grunt. Undyne chortled, ruffling their hair affectionately. "Yeah, I was rummaging and I found a whole box of stuff you might like." The child quickly got back up, bouncing in circles around Undyne. "Yeesh—Pap you didn't let them get their hands on anything with sugar again…right…?"

"No!" he exclaimed, hugging a plate close. "Never. Again."

"Then…what's this?"

"I don't know," the tall skeleton replied helplessly.

Sans was quiet, trying to nudge Papyrus into taking another plate as he watched the child with suspicion. It didn't matter how much Papyrus assured him otherwise, he wasn't going to trust that little one.

Undyne opened the door, grabbing a box she had left outside, bringing it in. The moment it was set down, Frisk practically fell into it, legs kicking the air as they rummaged inside it, giggling excitedly.

The fish monster gave a lopsided smirk, and settled down on the couch, watching the human, while Sans leaned back to keep an eye on things from the kitchen, absently handing Papyrus the last of the dishes.

They pulled out coloring utensils, and looked up at Undyne happily. "Yeah, I thought you'd like those with all those drawings you do." The child continued rummaging, finding toys in different states of disrepair. Some just needed a slight patch up…some…were uncertain if they could even be salvaged.

Not that Frisk cared too much, but they paused, picking up a DVD case, gasping in awe. "Oh, Alphys found that while looking for some anime. She said it's some other movie or—" All three monsters jumped at the shrill cry of joy from the child and they ran in excited circles, jumping up and down, before racing to the television. "Huh?" Undyne asked in bewilderment. "You're going to watch it now? But there's still—okay, we're watching it now I guess…"

"What did you even get them?" Papyrus asked in confusion.

"I don't know, it's just some old movie or something, I don't pay too much attention to those things…didn't think they'd be that happy."

Papyrus sighed, shaking his head. "I'd love to stay and see what this all is, but unfortunately, I have a station to get to."

"Snowdin's?" Sans asked quietly. Papyrus nodded. "Um…can I…come to?" he asked in a soft mutter. "The woman behind the door…I…I'd like…"

Papyrus smiled. "Sure, I think she'd love some extra company," he said, keeping his voice quiet so Undyne wouldn't here. Then, he raised it back to its normal level. "Sans is coming with me—make sure they get to bed on time, no midnight marathons!"

"Not repeating that mistake!" she assured.

With that, the two left, eventually getting to the station. "Sadly, I only really get to visit her during my morning shifts here," Papyrus explained to Sans. "She's pleasant to talk to, but while taking care of Frisk, it's very hard to keep meeting her…"

"No worries," Sans said, tossing a hand up in assurance as he walked away. He made it to the old door, and knocked…no one answered. "Heh…since I'm here…" He started quietly rattling off knock-knock jokes, one after another. Until, finally. "Knock-knock…"

"Who's there?" a quiet, soft voice asked.

Sans paused, and then felt a genuine smile reach him. "Dishes."

"Dishes…who?"

"Heh…dishes is a very bad joke."


	5. Hold the Fort

Sans couldn't help a genuine smile as laughter came from the other side of the door. It felt good, to have that voice on the other side again. After that cold absence back in his timeline…it was wonderful to hear her again. So, with a chuckle, he knocked on the door once more, rattling off joke after joke, throwing out every one he could.

The small skeleton monster let his other worries vanish away. He finally got his mind off the world he was no longer a part of for a little bit…he finally stopped worrying about the human, for the time being. For now, he was back to being the lazy jokester that everyone had seen him as.

Finally, he ceased his jokes, letting her laughter slowly fade as she caught her breath. Then, he heard her knock on the door. He snickered. "Who's there?" he asked, though he already knew what she would say.

"Little old lady," was the reply.

Sans shook his head. "Little old lady who?" He had to bite back the urge to laugh before she even gave the answer.

"Oh, I did not know you could yodel." It was then that Sans burst out laughing. He had missed this, more than he thought he ever would.

Sans leaned against the door, and slowly slid down, his laughter eventually fading. "Feels like forever since I got to trade a joke," he chuckled.

"I'm sure it's been much longer since I heard so many," the woman replied. "Do you come here often? This is the first time I heard you…"

"Eh, yes and no," Sans said. "Don't matter too much."

"Ah…"

"You're expecting another monster, right?" Sans asked, his voice pleasant.

"Erm, yes. There is someone else who comes to the door from time to time…"

"Hmm…The Great Papyrus?"

"Yes! Do you know him?"

"Yeah, actually…I'm kinda staying at his place right now due to circumstances."

"He's quite a generous monster..." she said gently, her voice soft, but there was a quiet happiness to it.

"Pap…heh, that's not even scratching the surface. He's too selfless for his own good. But uh…" Sans pushed at some snow with his foot. "You know, um…I've got a question for you."

"Yes…?"

"The kid he's taking good care of…what were they like with you? Before they came out here?"

There was a pause. "Uh, well—"

"I know they're human," Sans said simply. "I've seen their kind before…I just want to know what they were like with you…I just…I dunno. Humans don't have the best reputation down here, and I want to know what made you decide that this human was the exception…what made them different?"

Toriel sighed softly, but Sans could almost see a soft smile. "They're, for one, just a child, but…they never raised a hand of violence. They befriended those who live on this side of the door…and when I stood in the way of the exit. Telling them to fight, or run away…they stood their ground, and waited…refusing to hurt me…"

"They really were that innocent?" Sans asked.

"I know it's hard to imagine humans like that, after the war, but…not all humans are bad, just like not all monsters are good."

"Huh…"

"But…could you tell me…how are they doing…?" For a while after that, Sans told her what he knew, even if it wasn't much, and how Papyrus even allowed him to know she was there. In the end, she had to leave, and asked him to let them both know she said hello, and that she had appreciated his company.

Sans bid her farewell, and then headed down the path. He didn't go far, when he came across the Sentry Station, and saw Papyrus there, scribbling something in a notebook. The tall skeleton glanced up as he heard Sans. "There you are!" he exclaimed with a wide smile. "I was wondering if I was going to have to come get you! My shift ends in a few more minutes!"

Sans smiled, and came over. "Guess I'll have to be forced to sit here and wait."

"Why do I feel there isn't much forcing going on here?"

The smaller skeleton snickered as he slid against the station, sitting on the ground. "You got me. I'm lazy."

Papyrus leaned to the side to look at him, and his smile broadened. "Well, The Great Papyrus is happy to know that you are doing a little better now that you've spoken with her."

"Hm?" Sans questioned, blinking in confusion.

The other skeleton sighed, but the smile remained. "I guess it's hard to see from the inside. You just…seem better right now, compared to how you were yesterday and today. I'm just glad to see an improvement…"

"Huh…" Sans looked down at his hands, opening and closing them. "Guess I don't see it all that well," he replied with a sheepish chuckle. "Uh, anyways…I…talked to her about the Kid."

"And?"

"And…maybe you're right," Sans murmured. "You, Undyne…the old lady…you only have nice things to say about them. It's just…so strange. The human I knew…they looked like Frisk in every way I can think of…except for those eyes."

"Because whoever that human was, they weren't Frisk," Papyrus said as he closed the notebook he had with him. "But maybe they were just scared, Sans. Wouldn't you be if you fell into a world of strange creatures that were all after your soul?"

Papyrus stiffened as he saw the pupils dim in Sans's sockets. "…I thought that at first…but it wasn't the case. Without hesitation, they would plunge into battle. I thought, maybe they were unhappy, or lonely. That all they needed was some bad laughs, and some nice friends…" Sans shook his head. "But as I fought them, to keep them away from our King…I saw…and I knew. That human, would never be happy."

"Fine, they're not Frisk. That kid, from what I've seen and heard…is too sugary sweet for their own good. However, that other human…sorry, Pap, I know how you work, but…there were no redeeming qualities to them. Tell me, how could a scared human walk into battle with a smile…and laugh as they cut down monsters that didn't have the slightest chance to survive?"

Sans stood up. "I'll accept that Frisk is a good kid. I'll give them their fair chance. But I'll never forgive the human from my timeline. They took everything, Papyrus. When you figure out how to forgive a beast like that, and move past it, let me know."

* * *

Back at their house, Undyne smirked, as she set the kid down, tucking them into their bed, ruffling their hair affectionately. "Good night, punk. Have some sweet dreams, ya got that?" She turned, and headed out, quietly closing the door, and then hurrying softly down the stairs. They had fallen asleep a while back, but Undyne had been content with watching an anime that they had gotten, and once the disk ended, she finally took them to bed.

As she reached the bottom of the stairs, the door opened, and the two skeletons entered. "Hey, Papyrus," she said with a smile. "How did it go?"

"Nothing of interest to report," he replied, keeping his chipper mood despite the earlier conversation he had. It was then that Sans realized that even his brother was good at hiding things behind a smile…though, perhaps, Papyrus's was more genuine than his own.

Undyne folded her arms, smirking. "Is that so? You're not leaving out any details like another human, now are you?" she teased.

"Not at all, Captain Undyne."

"Good, uh, anyways, Frisk and I made you Spaghetti, but they crashed afterwards."

"The Great Papyrus is flattered." With that, he headed into the kitchen, leaving just her and Sans in the room.

"So…" Undyne started as she moved over to the couch and sat down. "What has you here anyways? Like, I know Papyrus would take in anyone and anything, but what's your story?"

"Heh," Sans said with a helpless shrug. "Nothing special to tell. I just need a place to stay until I can get back on my feet."

Undyne sighed. "I don't know. Skeleton monsters aren't common to come by, and then you come out of nowhere. I think there's a story. You're just not interested in telling it." Sans stiffened, but then, she shrugged. "But that's your choice, I'm not going to go prying around unless you give me reason to…"

"And what would give you a reason?"

"Simple," she said, before a wide grin split across her face, her eye glimmering with a dangerous light of a fighter. "You mess with those I care about, and I'll hunt you down."

He raised his hands in surrender. "I'll keep that in mind…" And hope that she never learned about what he did to Frisk, even if they end up never happening. "So…how did you meet the kid?"

"Informally…chasing them through Waterfall. I thought they were a nasty human that deserved to have their soul taken…I was wrong. I formally met them a few days later, as they actually came to my house with Papyrus. He wanted me to settle the differences and become friends with them…I wasn't interested, but…" She laughed. "That punk just has a way with things…"

"Honestly, they're kinda cute—don't tell anyone I said that though. You should relax about them, Sans. I wouldn't let them anywhere near Papyrus if I still thought they were dangerous."

Sans shrugged. "Ever think it was just a trick? Play nice and then…?"

"Nah, wouldn't make sense. They could have run and let me die on the bridge in Hotlands if they wanted to. I can't defend the rest of the human race, but I'd stake my life and my pride on Frisk's kindness."

"Heh…" Sans shook his head with a smile. "This is one lucky Kingdom. Of all the humans to fall down here…"

Undyne gave a breathy laugh, but then perked as her cell phone began to ring. She fumbled with it, drawing it out with one hand, and flipping it open. "Hello?" she asked as Papyrus poked his head out of the kitchen, finishing up his dinner. "What…?" She stood. "What do you mean 01 and 02 are…? Right. Okay. Yes, get them to a doctor. Yes, I'll head over there right away. ETA…fifteen, twenty minutes. Hold the fort, 03."

"Undyne?" Papyrus asked in confusion.

"There's someone stirring up trouble in a lower area of Hotlands," she said, heading for the door. "They wrecked 01 and 02 pretty badly—"

Papyrus set the plate down, and hurried after her. "Undyne, let me come—please. I have good healing magic, if nothing else."

She looked at him, thinking about it. Sans hesitated, and then stepped forward. "He's right," he said, not giving a second thought to his words. "Papyrus's healing magic rivals along with his physical abilities."

"All right, Papyrus. Just stay close, all right? We don't know what we're dealing with."

"Right! Sans—stay here and look after Frisk—should be simple enough since they're asleep!"

Sans jerked. "Wai—" The two were already gone, however. Sans sighed, drawing a hand over his face. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to side with Papyrus that time, though he trusted Undyne to keep her eye on him.

* * *

The small skeleton opted to skip on dinner, not feeling all that hungry, before turning off the lights, and slipping out of his hoodie before lying on the couch, letting sleep slowly claim him. Hours later, in the middle of the night, Sans was jerked awake roughly by an alarmed cry. He sat up with a gasp, and then jerked his head up to see Frisk's door slam open.

The child ran; their blanket going up behind them as they held it over their shoulders. They darted to Papyrus's room, knocking rapidly, waiting only a few moments, before jerking it open, and stepping inside. Sans stood, going to the staircase, looking up it in concern, but not daring to take another step.

Soon enough, the child emerged, whining as they looked around, shaking and quivering. "…Kid…?" Sans asked. They jerked with a gasp, looking down at the skeleton below, with concern in his eyes. "Are you looking for Pap?" They shakily nodded. "He went out with Undyne…I guess he hasn't come back yet."

Frisk looked down at the floor, shuffling their feet. He sighed. "…bad dream?" he finally asked. Their gaze met his, before they adverted it again, quietly nodding. Sans let out another soft breath, and then turned, quietly going back to the couch. Frisk glanced back to their room, unwilling to go back there after that.

They jumped as the TV came to life, and they looked down to see Sans on one side of the couch, remote in hand as he started up the DVD that happened to be in there. He was quiet, before looking up at them after another minute. "…couch can seat more than one," he said simply.

Frisk blinked, and then hesitantly started down the steps, with Sans glancing to them briefly again. The blanket was like the robe of a king or queen, draping down behind the child. They made it down, and then sat down on the far end of the couch, leaving a large gap between them. The anime that they had been watching with Undyne for a bit, was still in there, but because the child fell asleep during the first episode, they simply went back to the beginning.

Sans didn't pay full attention to the child though, and so he didn't notice that at the end of each episode, they scooted a little closer, until finally, he turned in surprise to find the child snuggling into his side. "Uh…" He blinked, uncertain as to how the child had gotten there, or why they had even bothered. "Um…"

The child looked quietly up at him, and it was then that he noticed soft cocoa brown eyes that held no malice in the slightest. They watched him, but as the theme song ended, they took their gaze back to the screen, though their eyes were drooping. Sans spent the next five minutes just staring at them, not even paying attention to what was on the screen.

Slowly, he ended up resting a hand on their head. Their gaze shifted to him briefly, before they snuggled into him more, tucking themselves into the blanket, as they continued watching. However, by the time the episode ended, the child was asleep again. Sans turned the television off, and though he stayed up for quite a while after that, sleep soon claimed him.

* * *

The hours slowly went by, with the two sleeping together on the couch. It wasn't until the wee hours of morning that the door creaked open. Sans gave a grunt, and peeked an eye open, watching as an armored Undyne came in. He was drowsy, but only until he realized that Papyrus was leaning heavily against her, and that she was supporting him as they entered.

"Papyrus?" Sans called in surprise, only remembering to keep his voice quiet at the last moment, and he had to resist jumping up.

The skeleton looked wearily over to the couch, blinking rapidly as he tried to get his vision to focus. "Oh dear…did we wake you?"

Sans twitched. "That's your reply? Papyrus, what the hell happened to you?"

"It's nothing, I just need some rest, Undyne already healed the worst of it…"

Undyne gave a snort as she helped him to the couch, and got him to sit down. "You should have seen the other guy."

Sans looked at her. "Papyrus…fought back?"

Undyne tapped her fingers together, ear fins drooping sheepishly. "Uh…"

"His current appearance is her handy work, not mine," Papyrus confirmed.

"He had it coming," she muttered. "No one hurts my guards and gets away with it."

Papyrus chucked sheepishly. "I think you've imprinted that a little too well on him…" He breathed out. "Sorry about that, I should have been more careful."

"No way, Papyrus," Undyne said. "Had you not done that, 04 might have been severely hurt…though do try to avoid jumping into an enemy's special attack from now on…"

"I'll keep that in mind…"

She sighed, and shook her head with a smile. "Anything else you need?"

He shook his head. "No, this is fine. Thanks for getting me home."

"No problem…but uh, better expect me to come checking in. You're off work until you're fully recovered. Got it? I'll have someone else handle your stations—"

Sans raised a hand. "How about I handle them?"

"You?" Undyne asked, raising a brow.

"May not look it, but I've got some experience with it. Besides…managing sentry stations is pretty straight forward. Just make sure nobody suspicious, wanted, or another human just waltzes pass."

Papyrus looked over. "Sans, you don't have to, I—"

"I'm free loading right now, remember?" Sans replied. "Here's my chance to make it up to you."

Undyne hummed. "I'll give it some thought and give you an answer tomorrow when I come over again. Anyways, take care, all right? Make sure Papyrus doesn't do anything too crazy."

"Heh, I'll try."

"Good." With that, she finally left, while Sans glanced to his weary companion.

"You gonna be okay, Papyrus?"

Papyrus nodded with a little hum, and smiled. "I'll be fine, Sans…I'm sure everything will be perfectly fine."

"What makes you think that?"

The taller skeleton almost seemed to smirk with amusement as he tiredly pointed at the child snuggled up against him. Sound asleep with their head in his lap. Papyrus had to choke back a laugh as Sans noticed, and a strange blue tint spread across his face. "…shut up."

"But Sans, I didn't say any—"

"I said shut up," he muttered in embarrassment.

Papyrus simply laughed quietly at his behavior, and then closed his eyes, sleep simply claiming them. By the time morning would arrive, it would find the three in a messy pile on the couch, still sleeping the next few hours away, due to their long night.


	6. On the House

Frisk curled up a little as they started to stir, a hand clenching onto Sans's shirt, while the other grabbed at the tail of Papyrus's scarf. They smiled in their sleep, and were content to stay that way a while longer. Everything was perfect, and they were slow to finally open gentle brown eyes.

They yawned, sitting up slowly, blinking when they realized they were laying on top of Sans and Papyrus. They stifled a giggle, finding it silly, especially when the two were slightly tangled up on the couch, due to the fact that Papyrus took up the whole couch when he laid down.

The child adjusted themselves so that they were sitting on Sans's chest, quietly studying him. At the moment, he was quiet, seemingly resting peacefully for once. Frisk smiled, and patted his head. He gave a quiet grunt, drowsily trying to push their hand away. The human stifled a giggle.

He looked nice like this…without the scary faces and that scowl he usually had when they were around. Honestly, last night was the first time he was actually…nice to them. It had been strange, and while he wasn't as good as Papyrus with chasing away the nightmares…he had tried, and Frisk found that it had been nice.

Frisk just wished he could be like that more often. He was better when he was nicer about everything. They didn't fully understand his past, but they hoped that Papyrus would make him feel better. The tall skeleton had a knack for accomplishing things like that. With that, they turned to finally focus on him, and then paused.

The poor skeleton looked like he had been dragged through the dirt, with marks on his battle body and bones, and Frisk could see little scratches all about, with even a little tear in the tail of his scarf.

There were even some odd cracks on his skull, and Frisk stirred uncomfortably, without knowing the full reason. It looked like he had taken a frontal attack, with cracks starting at his eye sockets, and yet, the marks gave the human a chilling reminder of… …they weren't sure. However, they whined, placing their hands gently on his skull.

Papyrus gave a grunt, slowly opening his eyes to see the whimpering child. "…Frisk…?" he mumbled, before they hugged him, crying into his scarf. "Oh—Frisk!" He started to sit up, his quiet exclamation finally drawing Sans out of his slumber.

"Whatszat bro…?" he mumbled, still half asleep, not even noticing his error.

Thankfully, Papyrus was preoccupied, and didn't register it. "Frisk, what's wrong?" he asked as he managed to get untangled from the somewhat alert Sans, and sit up fully.

Sans yawned, adjusting his position. "You've got some injuries, Pap—Papyrus," he managed. "Is this the first time you've gotten that roughed up with them around?"

Papyrus perked, realizing now why the child was so upset. "Oh, Frisk…" He smiled, and nuzzled their head. "It's all right. Come on, look at me, little human." They looked up, tears running down their face as they sniffled. His gaze softened, and he gently wiped the tears away. "See? I'm fine. These will all heal eventually. I just got a little hurt, but I'm all right."

Frisk whined something at him, and Papyrus sheepishly chuckled. "I can't use my own healing magic on myself. It can't work like that. If it did, there would be no need to heal others," he pointed out.

The human whined, asking why the other monsters didn't heal him instead. Sans sighed. "Because he was with fighters, Kid," he started. "Typically, our healing magic is inversed to our fighting magic. The better a fighter, the lower our healing abilities are. Papyrus was surrounded by Royal Guards. He was probably the best healer on board. And knowing Papyrus, he probably insisted he'd be fine."

Papyrus sheepishly chuckled, rubbing the back of his head. "The Great Papyrus does not need to be fretted over. While I cannot automatically heal my wounds, I shall recover quite swiftly."

The human wasn't satisfied, and pointed at Sans, who instantly drew his hands up to surrender. "Whoa, wait, don't look at me. I might as well not be able to heal at all—hey!" Frisk grabbed his hand and yanked it to Papyrus. Sans sighed. "Kid, I just told you." Plus, they had first hand impressions of how strong his fighting magic was. They should know that his healing magic was beyond pathetic.

Papyrus smiled, and shrugged. "They'll probably feel better if you tried."

Sans huffed. "Fine…" he mumbled, shutting his eyes as he focused on his magic. After what felt like years of doing nothing but fighting…it felt alien almost, to be drawing on his healing magic, and it seemed harder than ever after not using it at all for so long.

A dim blue glow came to his hand as he slowly came into contact with Papyrus's skull, trying to heal some of the wounds. Not even half a minute later, the magic sputtered out, and he drew back, panting. "S…sorry…" he breathed. "Best I can do…"

Frisk looked up at Papyrus in concern. The only thing that had actually healed was one of the lighter scratches—barely a nick on his skull. However, the taller skeleton kept his genuine smile. "Thank you for trying, I feel better," he told Sans. The skeleton looked down quietly, obviously embarrassed all the same, knowing that he hadn't done much.

Papyrus gently set Frisk down. "I bet you're hungry, aren't you?" he asked gently. "Guess we have to figure out breakfast."

"Hey," Sans murmured. "I've still got some coin in my pocket. How about I get some stuff at Grillby's—they have milkshakes, I think—mine did anyways. That's not greasy, and then you don't have to get up and move around to make spaghetti."

Frisk clapped their approval at the idea, while Papyrus hesitated briefly, and then nodded. "If you wish, then sure…"

Sans nodded and grabbed his hoodie, slipping it on. "Yeah. Anything you want, Kid?" Frisk gave them a response, and then snuggled into Papyrus's lap, deciding to just accept snuggles. Sans smirked. "All right. You've got the important job of keeping him on the couch, got it?" There was a pause, but he saw a small smile come to them as they smothered a giggle.

Papyrus smiled at the interaction. "Ah, but can you really keep The Great Papyrus from—" Frisk rose up a little, and grabbed his skull, nuzzling his face with a laugh. The skeleton gave an over the top gasp, and fell back down on the couch. "Alas! The Great Papyrus has been defeated, such a sad day it is!"

"…that's Papyrus for you," Sans murmured with a little chuckle. "Sounds happy even when he's being taken down…" Sans shook his head, the humor fading as he headed for the door. "Stay alive, that's an order."

The two protested that he was no doctor, which caused a slight snort of amusement to escape him, before he left.

* * *

Sans headed over to Grillby's quickly, checking his pocket for the gold, feeling assured at its weight. That was right…he had been able to grab his morning pay that day, before everything went completely wrong…

He kicked at the snow as he thought, not really paying attention to the snow that flew up. Those gold coins… ironic, really. They were all he had left of his timeline. No, that was a lie. He had one other thing in his other pocket, but he didn't bring it out. Instead, he kept his hand on the precious coins. Did he really want to part with them…?

Sans opened the door. They were just coins. He didn't associate any memories with them. It was fine. He was caught off guard by the clamor of the place. He looked up, and stopped as the door closed behind them. The canine guards were in, as were some other familiar patrons. The customers he used to see every day. The same customers that would always greet them.

There were glances to him, but upon not recognizing them, they went right back to what they had been doing. Sans's pupils vanished briefly as the reality hit him full force again. That was right…they didn't know him. Sans knew their names, their stories, but…he was just a stranger, and he'd have to start at square one again, but even if he did…it wouldn't be the same.

"Are you going to come in…?" asked a kind voice. Sans jerked his head up to see Grillby, whose flames gently crackled as he approached. "You were the one that came in the other day with Papyrus…is there something I can get you…?"

"Um…" His thoughts raced for a moment. "Y—yeah, um…on the go…um…four doughnuts, a milkshake, and a burger and fries with ketchup?"

"Certainly, but now…" Grillby removed his glasses, cleaning them, before placing them back on as a dog looked over, and tilted their head.

"Hey, Grillby," Dogamy asked as he turned. "Who's the newcomer?"

"I was just about to ask," Grillby assured.

Sans began to realize that the whole place was growing quiet as interest began to grow. Sans raised a hand quietly. "Name's Sans…"

"Did you move in recently?" Dogaressa asked. "Or are you just visiting?"

"Uh, hard to say," Sans said. "Due to the situation, I'm living at Papyrus's up the way," he said, hooking a finger in the direction that the house was.

"Papyrus?" Doggo asked, jerking his head up excitedly, tail wagging. "Of course that guy would take anyone in. Say…where is he, anyways? I haven't seen him for a few days…"

"Probably with his hands full with me around," Sans mumbled. "Anyways, I just came in to get him and one of the other residents some food…"

"Helping out, hmm?" Grillby asked.

"Had to find some way to keep him put," Sans said.

"Keep him put?" Doggo asked, tilting his head. "Why?" Then he frowned. "Is something wrong?"

"Uh…" Sans looked down. "I'm not sure what happened, but it looks like he got roughed up a bit last night when helping Undyne with something—he's okay, but…"

"Sounds like I need to go make that milkshake right away," Grillby said, swiftly turning. "I won't stand for this!"

The canines growled, fur bristling. "Fiends," Dogaressa snarled. "When I find them—"

"Undyne already did," he assured.

Dogaressa gave a dissatisfied grunt. "That means there's nothing left for me to beat in." The rest of her pack mates slowly leaned away, wary of her for obvious reasons.

"How bad was it?" Dogamy asked.

"Mostly scratches," Sans mumbled, clenching a fist. "There were some cracks on his skull, but…heh…he's a good healer, his magic should replenish him soon."

"That's still going to leave him out for a few days though," the plant like monster said from its seat.

"Poor Pappy~" the drunken monster slurred. "Hope he gets better soon~"

A monster at the back by the jukebox folded its hands on the bar. "The question is, who's going to man his stations? He's got a whole bunch."

"Don't know yet," Sans said. "Undyne would give a sure answer when she comes back today…"

"It's a shame," Grillby said as he stepped out of the back, two boxes in one arm, and a milkshake in the other. "That your first actual visit was because he was injured." He expertly moved around the tables, wary of customers moving without noticing him.

Sans shrugged. "Couldn't be helped, I guess."

"Anyways, here you are," Grillby said as he knelt. "Get these quickly back now."

"Wait—how much gold?"

"On the house," Grillby stated.

Sans blinked, a little stunned. "Wha—"

Grillby's flames crackled in light amusement. "We all want Papyrus back on his feet. Snowdin isn't quite as lively when he's not running around."

Sans breathed out, and a bit of a smile came to him. "Heh…no kidding," he replied. With that, he accepted the boxes, and the milkshake as Dogamy moved to open the door for Sans, allowing him to easily leave.

* * *

It didn't take long for Sans to get back, and he used his blue magic to open the door, grunting as he fought with it. Then, he stepped in. "Special delivery from the Lazy Bones services."

Papyrus looked up drowsily from the couch, where he lay with the child nestled into him, and smiled in amusement. "Hmm, seems the lazy bones isn't so lazy right now."

"Oops…must have caught me on a bad day."

"Sans…" The child giggled, while Sans snickered a little at the taller skeleton.

"Anyways, here's your milkshake. Grillby practically shoved me out with it when he realized what happened."

"Nyeh—heh. The Great Papyrus shall have to thank him once recovered!"

"Doughnuts for the Kid—sugar free ones apparently."

Frisk pouted, while Papyrus chuckled and ruffled their hair. "Sorry, Frisk. Grillby knows better too."

"You gotta tell me what happened at some point…"

"No!" Frisk and Sans jumped, while Papyrus simply glanced to the door as Undyne burst in. "That story—no. I refuse to relive the nightmare."

"How bad is it to have a human on sugar?" Sans asked in confusion.

Undyne gave him a look. "You lucky fool," was her reply.

"Undyne," Papyrus chided. "I wouldn't say fool…"

"Well he's certainly lucky."

"Heh, define 'lucky'," Sans replied, his pupils briefly vanishing.

Undyne shook her head. "Anyways, Papyrus. How you feeling? Any better?"

The tall skeleton looked up with a grin, and gave a thumb's up. "Definitely better."

"Good to hear. Anyways, that dirty slumball is now behind bars, for assault, attempted murder, and for ticking me off."

"Slumball…?" Sans asked at the odd term.

"Undyne," Papyrus started sheepishly. "Ticking you off isn't even—"

"It is in my book!"

Frisk simply shook their head with silent laughter. Well, Undyne was still fueled up over the whole thing, apparently. She huffed, and then looked to Sans. "You said you could do sentry stations?" He nodded. "Well, you're in luck then. Some of my guards have been roughed up like Papyrus, so they're out of commission, and a lot of others are trying to clean up the mess. So, you better be telling the truth."

Sans nodded. "What's he got for today?"

"Well, it doesn't start until Noon, but today is his busy day. That means you've got all four of his stations and his puzzles. Snowdin from noon to three—just reset the puzzles on your way back if any got set off." She frowned. "If you can figure out how to…"

Sans shrugged. "At best, I might get half of the ones in Snowdin. I make no promises for any others."

Papyrus smiled. "Even only a half of The Great Papyrus's puzzles will be enough to keep intruders from Snowdin!"

Undyne nodded with a bit of a smirk. "That's for sure. Anyways, Sans…you'd have to handle Waterfall till six, and then two hours at each of the Hotlands stations. You'd be coming back late."

"Got it," he replied. "Bring a snack," was the casual response. Then he chuckled at the looks he was given. "Don't worry, I'll take it seriously."

"You better," Undyne said, and then she leaned forward. "Oh, Papyrus, I brought Alphys over to look you over. You okay with that?"

Papyrus nodded, adjusting his scarf, with Sans noticing the tears in it. "I'm fine with that…" Frisk looked to the door, and then hugged Papyrus, before slipping down, and heading for the stairs.

"Come on, Punk," Undyne called after them as they headed up. "Are you really so shy of that nerd?" She snickered. "Your first meeting would be hilarious with both of you hiding behind this."

Sans stood. "Well, I'll go upstairs with the kid so that they're not bored. Don't want to be in the way of a checkup."

"Sure you don't want to meet her?" Undyne asked.

Sans turned at the steps, and smiled. "Always another time."


	7. Entry Seventeen

Sans knocked lightly on the door that used to be for his room. Frisk quietly opened it, and Sans shrugged helplessly. "Can I…come in…?" They nodded, and then opened the door fully for the skeleton. He looked around at the surprisingly neat room…it didn't look like he ever stepped into this place.

The small skeleton quietly closed the door behind him. "Well, Kid…I know we didn't get off on the right foot…probably still on the wrong one, but…what do you say about working together for something?"

Frisk tilted their head, quietly questioning what he was talking about. The skeleton leaned against the wall. "Pap got roughed up last night—obviously…and so did that scarf of his…" The skeleton's gaze went to the lone window, staring at it quietly. "…you know that scarf is important to him, right?"

The child nodded. "Then, help me get it off him. I know someone in Hotlands who can patch it up—well, they don't know me anymore, but knowing them, if we're not friends, they'll do it for a little gold. Of course, between the two of us, you're more likely to get the scarf from him than I am."

Frisk frowned in thought, questioning how they could get it from him, and then keep it away until he got back. Sans shrugged. "I'll head back as soon as it's done. In fact, I'll probably try to talk to them in between my Hotlands shifts to see if I can get it done by the time I finish my shifts."

The human decided they would just have to improvise. Sans smiled. "All right, Kid. I guess I'll leave it to you. Think you can handle that?" They simply pointed out that the only flaw was that Alphys was done there. "Oh, her?" Sans asked, and then chuckled. "Like you have to worry about her if you're a pacifist."

Frisk made a hum of confusion. "She's harmless," Sans assured. "She's a scientist, with…unique interest. All you have to worry about is her rambling on for hours over an anime…or her initial freak out over seeing a human."

Sans sighed, pushing his slipper against the carpet. "Trust me, Kid…out of all the monsters—emphasis on monsters—there is only one you should ever worry about." His pupils dimmed, nearly vanishing. "And that's just me, because…" He sighed, and raised his head up to focus his gaze on the ceiling.

"Because I'll still jump at shadows…I'll shoot before I ask…and Kid…unlike you, I don't make a habit out of giving Mercy. Let's just hope you are who you say we are, and you'll never have to understand what I'm talking abou—"

He jerked in surprise, looking down at the human as they snuggled into him. Sans kept his arms up as he stared down at the odd kid. "…aw geez," he grumbled, and then hesitantly lowered a hand onto their head. "…you know you're weird right?" he muttered. "Hugging someone who's incinerated you twice already…"

Frisk pointed out that this wasn't the first time they've hugged someone out to get them, before looking up at him with a smile. They certainly thought it wouldn't be the last, either. Sans sighed, and ruffled their hair.

"All right, you weird kid. Go work some magic, all right? And um…save if it all goes well, okay? Papyrus will heal, trust me. We skeleton monsters aren't in danger unless we actually break some bones."

Despite that Sans shouldn't have gained any trust with the child for killing them twice, Frisk nodded with a little hum. They knew that Sans, at the very least, cared for Papyrus's wellbeing. They opened the door, looking down below, before slowly making their way to the stairs as they looked at the yellow reptile.

"L—luckily, nothing serious," Alphys managed, wringing her hands nervously. "Y—you won't need to go to anyone. Just re—relax a few days and let things heal, all right?"

"Of course," Papyrus said as he sat there on the couch, letting her bandage his skull. "As much as I'd like to continue manning my posts, it would do no good for even The Great Papyrus to be wounded on duty."

"Don't worry," Undyne assured. "It's only a few days, and then…" She smirked. "I'll give you some catch up training."

Alphys looked up worriedly. "U—Undyne…please take it easy on him…"

"Catch up training is easy…"

Frisk was pretty sure it was only easy to Undyne, and a death trap to the others. They crept down the stairs, with their movement catching Papyrus's and Undyne's attention. They blinked in surprise, with Undyne mouthing her demanding question to Frisk. The human shrugged and waved.

Alphys looked up, sensing a change in the atmosphere, and then turned to follow her gazes, dropping the rest of the bandages as she stared. "Oh my god…" she stammered. "That's the…that's a…that's a human!" she quietly exclaimed with a slight squeal in her voice. "What…what's one doing here…?"

Undyne looked down at the lizard. "It's a long story," she said.

"And why aren't you trying to capture it!?"

"Also, a long story."

"What…?"

Undyne sighed with a smile. "I'll explain it soon enough," she assured as Frisk came over, and hopped onto Papyrus's lap. Up above, Sans watched the scene from the slightly ajar door to his former room. They settled on his lap, and then reached up, kissing the bandages with an endearing coo like sound.

A slight tint of orange came to the taller skeleton's face. "Well," he managed sheepishly, while Alphys just stared dumbstruck. "That was…very sweet of you, Frisk." They giggled, and then whispered softly to him. "Hm…you want to go outside?" They insisted it was for a get-better present…but that it was cold out, and that they wanted to borrow his super cool scarf to keep them warm.

The skeleton grabbed onto a tail of his scarf, thinking it over, but then he nodded, taking the scarf, and then putting it around them fondly. "There you go, now you'll be safe with a little bit of The Great Papyrus with you at all times." They gave an endearing squeal, hugged him tight, and then slipped out of his lap, hurrying out of the house.

Alphys blinked, staring, and then looked up at Undyne. "Tell me everything," she demanded.

Undyne snickered. "Papyrus, you start."

* * *

Sans dozed in his former room, leaning against the wall. As always, Sans could turn anything into a resting place, regardless of location, or his position. However, Sans stirred, becoming aware again. He figured it was nearing the time he had to leave anyways. He opened the door, pausing as he realized Alphys was still there, reaching the tail end of why Frisk was around, and not being hunted.

He shrugged to himself. Well, he didn't want to explain his teleportation magic, as Papyrus didn't seem to have that in his stead. Papyrus would have noticed if he went past, and so if Sans teleported now, he'd raise unwanted attention later when Papyrus realized he somehow got out of the house.

Not that it mattered if he went by Alphys, honestly. He could simply be introduced as another monster resting here for now. With that, he headed down the stairs. Papyrus perked. "Ah, already going?" he asked as Alphys drew her attention away from Undyne to see who Papyrus was talking to.

"Yeah, it'll take me a while to walk over there, so—"

"S—Sans!?" Alphys exclaimed, causing all three to jump slightly in alarm at her outburst. Sans froze, staring at her with an absolute loss as to what was going on.

Papyrus glanced to the smaller skeleton, and to the lizard, trying to figure out what was going on, before he decided on the most reasonable idea. "Oh, have you two already met? Sans, why didn't you tell me you met the brilliant Dr. Alphys?"

The thing was, Sans hadn't met her—not in this timeline, yet, this Alphys knew him by name. "S—Sans…" she stammered as she stood, quivering nervously. "Y—you're back—" She raced over to him, and on instinct, he grabbed her shoulders, catching her off guard. "W—what, Sans…"

He looked at her, his pupils dimming. "I'm sorry," he murmured. "I don't know what you're talking about exactly, Alphys." She froze, looking terrified. He drew his skull close to her head, and muttered softly. "I have a vague idea, but this isn't the place. I'll be at the Hotlands station by your lab later today…if you want to still talk, we do it then."

With that, he drew back, and spoke up. "Sorry, Alphys, I have to fill in Papyrus's role today, which is a _tall_ order in more ways than one."

"Oh my god, Sans!"

Sans looked up with that fake smile of his and chuckled softly. "Sorry, Papyrus, couldn't resist."

Without another word, he quickly darted out the door, gone before anyone could stop him. Alphys took a few steps forward, and then lowered her head, sighing quietly. "Alphys?" Undyne asked in concern.

"Are you all right?" Papyrus added.

Alphys sighed, her whole form drooping. "No…" she muttered, grabbing her bad. "I need to go," she said. "Just rest, Papyrus, you'll be fine."

"Alphys—" Undyne started to protest.

"You need to stay here and keep him company," the lizard said as she headed for the door. "I have…some very important things to attend to; don't call me unless it's an emergency."

Papyrus raised a hand. "But I think that this counts as an—" The door closed. "…emergency…" He looked up. "Undyne, if you want, you can go after her…"

"I'm not sure that'll do any good," she murmured worriedly in concern.

* * *

Late that evening, Sans sat at the lower Hotlands station. In his hands, was the torn scarf. The child had hidden it in the Snowdin station, where he found it effortlessly, and had then kept a hold on it for the rest of the day.

He eventually heard footsteps, and so he lowered it out of sight, turning slightly to see Alphys hesitantly come forward. She opened her mouth, but then looked shakily left and right, then back to him. "W—we need to talk."

"Yep, I sorta figured when you went shouting my name back there."

She nodded. "Sans…when—how did you get back? I thought you were—or at the very least, out of my reach. I've been trying so hard ever since the accident—"

Sans raised a hand. "Slow down. I don't think I'm the person you think I am."

"I know who you are!" she exclaimed, and the skeleton was taken aback when he found that she was crying. "Wh—why are you doing this?" she whimpered. "I've been so scared—after you two—I'm the only one, and I don't know how to fix things! We were working together with your father, and then the accident—you…I thought I lost you. Why didn't you tell me…?"

"Alphys…" Sans lowered his head, finally putting things together. "I'm not the monster you think I am." She raised her voice, starting to shout at him, and he raised both his hands. "It's not to hurt you. It's not because I've lost my memories. I may be Sans…but I'm not your Sans." He looked up at her again, his gaze locking onto hers. "You worked with…the Sans of this timeline."

She stepped back. "Wh—what do you mean…this timeline?"

The skeleton sighed. "I'm not from here, Alphys. Whether you accept or believe it…I'm from another timeline and somehow…somehow I ended up here. I guess it's because something happened to your Sans."

He sighed. "It was that accident a few years back, wasn't it? Except, it took my counterpart…?"

Alphys stared at him, trembling. "P—prove you knew of it…" He was scaring her.

Sans sighed, and looked up at her. "Entry 17…what do you two think?" That was all he could salvage, he had no further recollection of the incident, aside from his workshop.

The lizard covered her face, shaking and shuddered. "W—why?" she demanded, but to no one in particular. "I—I thought I had him back—at least then…"

"Sorry," Sans murmured as he drew his hood up. "It seems you miss him…but at least you still have a chance to get him back…" He hesitated, trying to say something to stop her from crying. He only knew Alphys as a colleague in his timeline, but it seemed they might have been closer here with the way she was acting.

Sans sighed, drawing a hand over his face. "Alphys…" She slowly looked up at him through her tears. "I…I know I'm not the person you were looking for…heh, probably don't act like him too much right now either…" He sighed shakily. "However, I think I know what you would be doing, if you're on your own with this…if you ever need help…I guess maybe what I learned from my timeline, might be of use…"

"I'll…th—think about it," she managed in a choked voice, before darting away, fleeing the scene. Sans lowered his head, his pupils vanishing all together, though his smile remained. In the end, even to Alphys…he was just a stranger.

* * *

Eventually, the shift ended, and he headed to Waterfall—teleporting instantly to the third floor, and heading to a certain little parlor. The little spider sat at her counter, and then glanced up. "Good evening, Sir. May I interest you in some pastries?"

"Possibly, though, maybe something else as well…"

"Hmm?" she asked, blinking her five eyes in confusion.

Sans drew out the torn scarf. "This is very important to someone I know—it got a little damaged last night when he was helping out. I don't know too many around here, but I was told there a spider monster nearby. I was wondering if maybe, you could fix it? I've got some gold as well…"

Muffet took the scarf, giving a hum as she looked it over. "This is something I can fix," she assured. "It's a quick patch too…if you could come back in a few hours?"

"I have a station to take care of on the lower level," he replied. "I'll be done in about three hours."

"Then I'll have it ready by then."

"How much?"

Muffet smiled, resting her head on two of her other hands, her little fangs showing. "Free…if you buy some pastries, Sir."

Sans glanced to the doughnuts and croissants, and ended up chuckling, despite himself. "Should of known you'd do that…" He fished around in his pocket, dropping gold onto her counter. "Didn't expect to buy anything, so…"

She drew the coins close. "It'll certainly suffice, Sir," she assured, already summing a purple needle and thread with her magic. "Hmm, Sir, are you new then?"

"Kinda…"

"Ah, I see. Well, I do hope you're careful here. I was told a human may come through Hotlands as of late."

"Really?" Sans asked. "Sounds dangerous."

"I have my ways," she said, her hands moving expertly.

"Heh, that so?"

She gave a hum. "Anyways, Sir…don't you have a sentry station to go to?"

"Oops," he replied. "Guess I gotta get moving." With that, he moved away, teleporting once he was alone. "Heh…" he murmured to himself as he took a seat at the last sentry station for the day. "Sounds like Frisk is gonna have their work cut out for them if they ever decide to go through here."

He sighed, pupils vanishing, his hands twitching as he closed them into tight fists. "No wonder I fell here…" he muttered to himself. "I wasn't a perfect fit…no…I'm just a replacement for one of their missing pieces." He slammed his hand down on the station, quivering angrily.

Sans could have lived with being a stranger, building everything back up from square one. It would have been difficult, but…he could have managed it…but it was for naught. There was a real Sans in this universe…and he was stealing his place.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Fun fact: I truly meant for this to be an AU without Sans.

Then Alphys ran away with the script.


	8. What you Always Wanted

At the end of his shift, Sans teleported back to the upper level and headed over to Muffet's parlor. Sure enough, he found her at her stand, using a needle and thread of magic as she worked on mending the last bit of the scarf. Just as he approached, the magic vanished, and she looked up. "You have good timing, Sir," she stated.

"Heh, that's a first," he lightly joked.

The spider seemed to smile in light amusement. "Regardless, I believe it's finished." She held the scarf at its tails, showing that the tears and holes had been mended almost seamlessly. Then, she gave it to Sans.

The small skeleton stared blankly for a few moments. "Wow…it doesn't even look like it was ever damaged in the first place."

Muffet giggled. "Well, that was the idea there," she replied. "Anyways, I didn't take note of it at first, but I recognize that scarf. That's Papyrus's, isn't it? That sentry…"

"Yeah, this is his. He was in a scuffle last night, so…"

"That was what that commotion was all about!" Muffet exclaimed. "Oh, I hope the scoundrel that did that got what he deserved."

"Well, Undyne mentioned something about grabbing him or the like…"

"Oh." She regained her composure, folding her hands. "Then it's all good," she replied with a little smile that revealed her fangs.

"So…you know Papyrus?" Sans asked as he gently folded the scarf.

Muffet giggled. "Who doesn't know him?" she questioned in return. "Papyrus is a hardworking, but very kind gentleman. Many monsters are excited about him getting into the Royal Guard because of how efficient he is, and how he can resolve conflicts without actually needing to harm anyone if he can help it."

The small skeleton paused. "…what do you mean by that?"

"If you see Papyrus training with Undyne, you can see how powerful he can be…but I've yet to see even the smallest fraction of that elsewhere—that's not to say I've seen every outside conflict, but word gets around down here, as you should know.

"What I'm saying is, he has a lot of power at his disposal, but he won't use it if he doesn't need to. He's very peaceful, despite wanting to be a guard, but…" She giggled. "Don't tell anyone, but I think the guard could use a few like him."

"Huh, he's sure been getting attention here…"

"Well, yes," Muffet murmured. "Half of the puzzles here are his as well—except for those vent hoppers. Papyrus mentioned he preferred a maze of bridges, as those are less likely to put monsters and the like in harm's way." Though Sans knew that the main reason Papyrus didn't like it now was because of what happened when Frisk tried to use them.

"Anyways, uh, thanks for this," Sans said as he put the scarf away in a hoodie pocket. "Papyrus will definitely appreciate this, but I should head back. I ended up tending to all his stations, and it's late, so…"

"Oh dear, sounds like you've been run ragged by his high standards." Muffet giggled. "Though thank you for filling in when he wasn't able to."

"No problem," Sans assured. "Take care," he added, as he headed off, and at the first chance he got, he took a shortcut, appearing near the house. Sans breathed out softly. His brother was actually getting what he wanted in this timeline…

He had recognition, friends…and there were rumors that he would get into the Royal Guard. "Just what you always wanted…" Sans murmured to himself, his voice quivering faintly as he spoke to himself.

As he reached the house, he stopped on the porch, staring at the door, where a large piece of paper was taped to it.

'Hey, Undyne here! To let Papyrus actually get some rest, it was best decided that I take the punk to my house for the evening. When you get off shift, think you can track your way to it? I'm in Waterfall, pretty close to the river station—just West of it, so you should be able to find it pretty easily. Anyways, the punk and I will see you then!'

"Good thing I'm not advertising my abilities too much," Sans mumbled. He could have easily teleported into the house, and skipped the message all together. With a sigh, he went back the way he came—and teleported in front of Undyne's house. He glanced to the training dummy in the yard, and then knocked on the door.

The door opened to reveal Undyne, who put a finger to her lips. "Shh, Punk fell asleep a while back." She stepped aside, allowing him to enter, before she retreated to her room, and returned with the little one asleep in her arms. "Here."

"Wait—you want me to…carry them?"

She gave him a dead-pan look. "No, I want you to drag them all the way back to Snowdin, make sure to hit every puddle on the way…of course I want you to carry them."

Sans looked reluctantly at the human. "Um…"

"Oh, come on. Humans aren't going to give you germs—even if most are repulsive. Now come on, take the punk and take them home so that Papyrus doesn't wake up wondering where the heck they are."

The small skeleton still wanted to shy away from doing so. Even if he was on better terms with Frisk…it really didn't help the child's case that they looked like the one who took everything away from him.

Finally, he held his arms out, and the fish monster gently set the slumbering child in his hold, then, she frowned. "Do you even know how to hold a little one?"

"Yes…?"

"Really?" she asked, folding her arms as she gave him a skeptical look.

"I…had a little brother."

"Then hold them as if they were your little brother," she reasoned, not noticing his choice of words.

Sans sighed, reluctantly holding the child close and supporting their head correctly as he resisted the urge to squirm as the child snuggled into him. Frisk mumbled to themselves, quietly grabbing his hoodie in their sleep. "There, was that so hard?" Undyne asked.

"No…"

Undyne smiled. "Well, there you go. Think you can get back safely?"

"No problem," Sans assured. "I can find my way back," he said, already heading for the door. The sooner he got back, the sooner he could put the human down.

"All right then, good night, Sans," she said as she followed him to the door.

Sans nodded, and the moment she closed the door, he hurried out of sight, and took a shortcut, swiftly finding himself back in Snowdin.

Using his magic, he opened the door, stepping into the dark home. He looked around, spotting Papyrus still laying on the couch, haphazardly covered by a blanket that was most likely Frisk and Undyne's doing.

Sans crept by, nearly silent with his slippers, but just as he neared the steps, he was brought to a halt. "Errm…Sans?"

The small skeleton turned, seeing Papyrus raising his head slightly. "Sorry," Sans apologized. "Did I wake you?"

"I don't think so," Papyrus replied. "I've been drifting in and out. How did it go?"

"Well enough," Sans answered. "No trouble to report."

"Nyeh-heh. It's good to see that everything is still fine."

"Yeah…uh, anyways, let me get the squirt back to their room—"

"Let them have mine," Papyrus insisted. "Then you can have theirs for the night, seeing as I have taken up the couch."

Sans snorted. "Unless you want to wake up in a tangled mess again."

"I…rather not."

"Kid seems to like it," Sans replied as he headed up the stairs, using his magic to open the door. He paused as he stepped in, looking around silently. From the race car bed, the action figures, the pirate flag…every little detail was exactly the same. He quivered, trying to keep his breathing steady as he swiftly took the child and tucked them in.

Sans practically fled the room, closing the door behind him, pressing his back against it. It was a little too much. "Sans? Are you all right?" Papyrus softly called in concern.

"Y—yeah," Sans managed. "Just out of breath from everything—gimme a minute." He shut his eyes, clenching his fists as he tried to shove it all out, all the hurt emotions. He had yet to fully break down—and he didn't want to do it…not in front of a brother who didn't have to suffer.

As he recuperated, he came over to the railing, peering down. "Do you need anything, Papyrus?"

"No, I should be fine," the taller skeleton assured.

"That's good to hear…how you feeling?"

"Better."

Sans nodded slowly, fiddling with the drawstring on his hoodie, unsure of what to say to Papyrus, and was now fumbling for something to say. "Anyways, I should head to bed," he managed. "You should get some more rest as well, and then the Kid can stop worrying about you all day."

Papyrus smiled. "They'll find that The Great Papyrus does not go down easily, and heals quickly. I'll be back to normal soon enough."

"They'd rather see it than hear it," Sans replied with a helpless shrug as he moved to the other door. He grabbed the handle, and then glanced back over his shoulder. "…good night, Papyrus." Then, he slipped out of sight, closing the door behind him.

The taller skeleton looked on in concern, before laying back down. "Good night," he murmured, though no one else heard.

* * *

The next morning, small hands landed on Sans's shoulders, gently shaking him. The small skeleton gave a grunt, lazily swiping the air, and missing his pesterer. "'go way, bro…" he grumbled. "I'll get up…eventually…"

There was an unsatisfied grunt, and more shaking, until finally, he opened his eyes, jerking when he saw Frisk, who leapt back as he sat up swiftly, clutching at his chest. "Geeze—kid!" he exclaimed. "Are you trying to get incinerated again? How far back would we have gone if I did that?"

Frisk put their hands on their hips and informed him that they saved before coming back to wake him.

"Heh…good call, kid…" He looked down sheepishly. The child already made it a habit to save to avoid that kind of thing. "Anyways, what are you doing in here?"

Frisk held out their hands, making a motion. "What? You want something…oh!" He sat up, and then thought for a moment, before reaching into one of his hoodie pockets, and drawing out the neatly folded scarf. "Here it is, practically better than new."

The child jumped excitedly, taking it into their hold, before grabbing him, tugging on his hand. "Wait—what the!" He was jerked to his feet, and ended up stumbling after them. They went to the railing, and waved with an empty hand to Papyrus.

He was sitting on the couch, the blanket draped over his shoulders as he drank what seemed like hot chocolate. "Good morning, Sans! I see you're finally awake…with the help of Frisk."

"Yeah, they're kinda—whoah!" Sans yelped as the child yanked him to the stairs, before thankfully letting go before they raced down, jumping all over the living room as Sans made his way down at a slower pace.

"Sans, you didn't feed them anything, did you?" Papyrus asked as he watched the child hop and bounce about.

"Nope," he replied.

"Then…?"

"I'm sure they'll tell you now that I'm down here," Sans replied, leaning against the wall as Frisk bounced over to Papyrus, and then crawled into his lap, hugging him with a happy hum.

Papyrus chuckled, and returned the embrace. "Seems like I should leave you in the canine's care today so that you run out of energy." Frisk giggled, snuggling into him further, before drawing back, and then revealed the scarf. "Ah! There it is, safe and sound," Papyrus said as he took it back from them. "I hope it kept you warm."

Frisk nodded energetically as Papyrus unfolded it, and then paused. "Wait a minute…" He looked it over. "The tears aren't here…" Frisk covered their mouth, shuddering with barely contained excitement. "How did that…?" A little squeal escaped the child. Papyrus looked up at them, and tilted his head.

"You…had it mended…?"

Frisk threw their arms up with a happy cry, laughing merrily. Papyrus smiled, and hugged them, petting their hair briefly. "Thank you, Frisk! Now The Great Papyrus can wear his scarf in style once again!"

The child giggled, and Sans couldn't help a bit of a smile at the little scene that had played out.

The human took advantage of the snuggling, cuddling into the skeleton to take every little bit of affection they could get. Sans had to muse if they were part canine monster with that attitude. Then, they beckoned Papyrus to lean a little closer before they whispered to him. "Hm? Really?"

He looked up to Sans. "Were you the one who had my scarf mended?"

Sans held up his hands in surrender. "I didn't really do anything, I just took it to the spider monster in Hotlands. She did all the patching up."

"Wowie, thank you, Sans! That was very thoughtful of both of you. It looks like I'll have to thank Miss. Muffet as well the next time I'm in Hotlands."

"No biggie," Sans insisted. "Anyways, have you two had breakfast yet?"

"Admittedly, no," Papyrus said. "I was thinking of sending Frisk to Grillby's so they can eat something."

"But you don't like stuff at Grillby's," Sans pointed out. "It's too greasy, you always complain about that."

"True, but at the same time, Alphys insisted I stay off my feet. Maybe Undyne—"

Frisk waved their hands frantically, shaking their head rapidly to make a very clear 'no'!

"How about I make some spaghetti?" the small skeleton questioned as he headed for the kitchen.

"Really? I don't mind, but…"

"I know how," Sans assured, chuckling a little to himself. ' _I've only made it god knows how many times in my life when we…when my brother and I were kids._ '

Sans then stopped, just before entering the kitchen. "Actually, before I forget, do you mind actual ketchup from the bottle as oppose to actually getting tomatoes?"

Papyrus paused. "Ketchup from the bottle instead of the tomatoes…?"

"Yeah. Technically, it's me being lazy, but…"

The tall skeleton was oddly quiet for several moments, pondering over something. Frisk hummed their confusion, studying him, before he looked up. "Sure, ketchup it is then."

"Great. Hey Frisk, can you get some from Grillby's? He's got the best type. Oh…and not for the spaghetti, obviously, but if he has any Mustard or Relish, could you at least let me know?" Frisk gave a happy hum, and then slipped off Papyrus's lap, heading out the door as they grabbed their coat off the table.

"Are you sure you didn't give them sugar?"

"Papyrus…" Sans poked his head out of the kitchen with a wide grin. "I'm _pastative_ that I haven't given them anything."

"Sans!"

"Yes?"

"Knock it off with those puns!"

"Ok."

"…you gave in far too easily. Be more genuine, at least."

"Ok."

"SANS!"


	9. Benefit of the Doubt

When Frisk returned, they were confused by Papyrus's loud outburst. "Frisk! Thank you, you're back! Sans has been spouting pasta puns while you were gone!" The human stared blankly, and then giggled.

"Frisk!"

Sans snickered. "Sorry, Pap. Looks like they're on my side."

"Frisk! How could you betray me!?"

They laughed, and came over after they gave the ketchup to Sans, and hugged him firmly with a happy little hum. They then clambered into his lap, snuggling firmly into a comfortable position.

Papyrus stared at the child, and then sighed. "You've been around the canines too long."

"I thought they were hanging around some cat monsters," Sans replied. "Seeing how they like claiming your lap and not leaving."

"Oh, for goodness sake, Sans…"

The smaller skeleton smiled a little, and then brought out plates a few minutes later, with Frisk reluctantly moving so that they could all eat. "So, same stations again, today?" Sans asked.

"Yes, sorry. I had to get hurt right before the busy days. But um…if I may propose something…"

"What's that?" Sans asked.

"I'd like to take care of my last station in Hotlands," Papyrus replied. "It's only the one, and I would like to thank Miss. Muffet for what she did."

"I don't know…"

"Sans, I'll be fine. I'm a little battered and mending—I'm not crumbling."

"But Alphys said to stay off your feet…and it isn't exactly a short walk to that station, or Muffet, even with the river and the elevators."

"I have my ways to get around," Papyrus assured. "I'll hardly have to be on my feet at all."

Sans raised a brow with a mix of skepticism and confusion.

"Just trust me," the taller skeleton assured. "I can handle myself. My injuries were from shielding someone else on a moment's notice. I can defend rather well otherwise, but I did not have time to summon magic."

Sans sighed. "Please don't turn yourself into the make shift Training Dummy in fights. You're no good if…"

"Trust me, I'm careful."

Frisk then added to the conversation.

"Besides, just as they said…they won't let me die even if I wanted to," Papyrus murmured sheepishly.

Sans huffed, and then stood. "Well, I need to get to that station. So…"

"Right." Frisk gave a soft sound in surprise as Papyrus picked them up. "Also. You should take them along."

"Wait—what?"

"You two need some bonding time—and after what you did yesterday, you should take a few more steps forward with this."

"Well…"

Frisk smiled, and managed to get down, heading off to get their coat. Sans sighed. "Sure…you just stay and get better, all right?"

"Certainly." Papyrus glanced to the stairs as Frisk rushed down, and then darted out the door. "Frisk, make sure to save!" he called after them as Sans followed. Papyrus turned his head, watching them go past the window. Once he knew they were gone, he raised a hand. Well, there was one other place he had to go, but that was his little secret.

For Sans, the walk to the first station was quiet, as he didn't have much for conversation, and Frisk didn't have anything to say either. When they finally got there, Sans glanced over to the absence of the lamp at the station. "Huh…" he mumbled to himself. "Kinda funny…it's just the little things that change, for the most part."

Frisk looked up with a hum of confusion as Sans took a seat at his station. "Don't worry about it," he mumbled.

The child was quiet, looking at the ground, and then back at him, before softly asking him something. Sans paused, his pupils flickering as the question sunk in. "Do I hate you…?" he managed, looking at the child who stood rigid in the snow before him.

Sans drew a hand over his face, trying to figure out the best way to word it all. "Kid…that's a complicated question with a complicated answer."

They said they didn't care, and that they'd figure it out.

"…You know what's happened in my world…the human that came tore through everyone. I'd be dead to if it weren't for this…" He shrugged. "Fluke. You look just like them. If you saw someone who looked like they killed your friends, would you just stand idly by?"

Frisk was quiet, but then shook their head. "Same here. I thought you were the enemy—but luckily for you; no one has anything to say other than to sing your praise. You seem to be a good kid. Heh, after all, you can't fool Pap in this timeline, can you?"

They frowned in confusion. "My Pap couldn't sense a reset," Sans explained. "Had that been the case here, well…"

 _ **"I really wouldn't be giving you any benefit of the doubt."**_

Frisk couldn't suppress a shudder. It was a fair warning, but…they looked up, questioning him, asking how they could prove themselves to him, to show that they wouldn't harm anyone.

"It's not that simple," Sans replied. "I'm not like the others here. They only know the one side you ever presented. I know the other side of human nature. It's not like you can just do a whole bunch of good things to prove it to me either, since you can reset it all. You can't even sacrifice yourself to your belief, because, frankly Kid…it wouldn't matter."

"Your little ability is a blessing for the most part…but to earn my trust? Heh. Sorry, buddy, but it'll be nothing but a hindrance if you want my actual trust."

Frisk folded their arms as they listened, and then stomped a foot down, swearing that they didn't care how long it would take, or how many tries. It wouldn't matter if he ended up blasting them to pieces, or spearing them with his bone attacks—somehow—someway—they swore upon their soul—they would prove to him that they were a friend!

"Well, Bud…" He leaned down.

 _ **"Better get started."**_

* * *

Deep in Waterfall, deeper than even Frisk could go, there were a cluster of Echo Flowers, and a voice spoke. "And so..."

"And so…" the flower echoed as golden petals moved before it.

"The little flower cried out in anger, loneliness and despair, when he learned that even she couldn't help. He cried his frustrations…but nobody came…" Flowey then tilted his head back fully so that he was peering behind him, upside down. "Well, that's not true," he said as he spotted Papyrus leaning against the cavern wall.

"You came, in the end, but heh…" Flowey right himself, smirking up at him. "You weren't exactly the saving grace, now were you?"

Papyrus shook his head. "Hello, Flowey."

"You're late." The flower lowered his head, keeping his smile. "Then again, word gets around. I heard you got pretty roughed up."

"An ear to the ground as always, hm?"

"But of course—though, I was wondering if you were dead when you didn't show up. And that would have ruined my fun. It's pretty boring here if we subtract you from the equation."

"Though you told me that even I was starting to become boring as well," Papyrus reminded him.

"Because no matter what I did," Flowey muttered. "You wouldn't change! It was so irritating! Oh, I'll be the nicest one around, and you'll be my best friend."

"Isn't that how it—"

"I reset." Flowey smiled. "And I…am not the nicest one around. Nothing major. I just make the 'wrong' interactions. No one dies. You just insist I can do better."

"Because you did do better."

"I reset…and I started to hurt them into submission…and you stayed the same. Insisting I can be a better person."

"And you can."

"And I reset…and I started to kill everyone. I'd say family, but you're all alone…but oh, you considered everyone a friend. From the Snowdrakes to the Vulkins. But I killed them." Flowey's face morphed, sharp teeth forming. "Everyone was dust…but you didn't change. No…you stood in the hall, insisting in that naïve little way of yours…" Flowey rose up, extending his body.

"Oh, I can still be a better person if I try. I can go back and do better. I can be a little better if I just try; you say as you attacked the form I took, rendering it useless over and over, so that I was back to this. To little old me."

"That thing was very dangerous Flowey, I told you to disable it! I had to keep dismantling it before someone got seriously injured!"

"There was no one left but you and the King at that point!" Flowey spat.

"It was my job as a guard."

"To protect?" Flowey asked. "It certainly worked well for everyone else didn't it? No wait, if I remember correctly…no! They were all dust because you didn't kill me!"

"Even if I had wanted to—it wouldn't have done any good. You used to reset when you died."

Flowey shook his head in irritation. "You were interesting in one way. You were always the unique one. I couldn't go back and re-do things. Because you'd notice. Yet, you fascinated me by never calling me out on what I did. Honestly…"

"You proved that you can be a good person, Flowey. And I still believe that," Papyrus replied, folding his arms. "You can be that good person again, if you just tried a little harder."

"You don't get it, do you?" Flowey asked as he turned around. "I'm soulless. When I did all those good things, it was because it was the right thing. But…I didn't feel a single pathetic thing. Not when all of you confessed dark secrets or expressed loneliness…not when you all smiled and laughed, crying out your joy. No…I didn't feel a thing until…"

"Until I slayed the first one. Don't you get it? It's the only way I know I'm still alive." He jabbed a vine at Papyrus. "By making others suffer."

"But it's wrong, Flowey."

"Like I care about right or wrong anymore. Honestly, why do you bother tracking me down and visiting me?"

"Because you are a good friend of mine."

"I was just going through the motions!" Flowey snapped.

"I don't think so," Papyrus replied with a smile. "You know, you repeated the nice route several times. And…you backed out of the bad ones a lot as well."

"Yeah, well, maybe I was bored."

"Or maybe, I, the Great Papyrus, am right."

Flowey made an exasperated sound. "You're irritating."

"Now, Flowey, what have I told you about calling monsters things like that?"

"What are you, my Mother?"

"No, but I was your friend, and I wish to still be your friend, and like it or not, the Great Papyrus shall do his best to take care of you!"

"Lucky me," Flowey sarcastically replied, before his vines suddenly came around Papyrus, yanking him flat on the ground. "But I think you've forgotten who the injured one is right now. In your current state…" The vines started to close tight, but Papyrus didn't seem all that phased. "I can kill you without the slightest worry."

"But you won't," Papyrus replied. "Nyeh-heh. If you wanted to kill me, you would have done so by now. You knew my state the moment I came."

"You want to bet on that?" Flowey hissed.

"Gladly."

Flowey snarled, the vines tightening…and then he relented. "The only reason I'm not killing you is because that human would cry us a river and then reset. So there wouldn't be any point."

"See! The Great Papyrus was correct with his assumptions!"

"Sure, sure, good for you."

"Now, erm, Flowey…could you release me? I hate to admit it, but the vines are crushing my ribs."

The flower dead-panned, and then released the skeleton haphazardly. "Are you going to stay here bugging me…?"

"I'm not here to bug you," Papyrus assured.

"Could've fooled me," Flowey muttered under his breath. "Though you know, it'd be interesting to kill you now, seeing as there is something else in play."

Papyrus paused. "You've heard of Sans."

"Of course I have…and my, I learned quite a few interesting things while listening in on those conversations. One of them being…" He chuckled. "Papyrus…" He tilted his head, his teeth showing.

"Why did you lie to him about the resets?"

"You said," the flower murmured. "That the first reset was when Frisk died to Undyne's spear. But that wasn't true. The resets happened far more often than that. It was merely the reset that Frisk was aware of you witnessing and reacting oddly."

"It's because…" Flowey murmured. "Frisk is pathetic at surviving. I've watched them. Papyrus…every monster they had encountered in combat…has killed them at _least_ once. From little old me…to vicious Undyne…to everyone in between. The only one who hasn't killed them…my…that would be you."

"How could I kill them? I made a promise!"

"And yet…you've seen them, Papyrus." Flowey laughed. "Limping home. You know they would fight. So…why do you let them go alone? Or is it because…you and I know…that we can't just let them waltz to the King?"

"Well…"

"A human, is a human, is a human," Flowey murmured. "You want to so desperately keep your promise, but at the same time, we know what humans can do. True—you don't want little Frisk dying, but…we both know you can get them there in a literal snap. Yet you let them clamber the hard way…why?"

"You're only half right," Papyrus replied as he sat up. "I could just take them to the kingdom, but…for all the hurt…for all those deaths. Frisk manages to come back with a smile. I would have stopped it, but…I can't save them from the fights. I tried a few times, but they won't wait for me. They purposely go off without me and get into those fights, but…

"They like helping others, and…I want them to help. They…bring hope and…joy to the monsters. Something I hadn't seen."

"Yes, even when I took that journey, I wasn't enough," the flower replied. "But look at me. Why would I?"

"Flowey—"

"Anyways," the flower interrupted. "Whether you'll admit it or not…there's another reason why you came, isn't there? Now that there's a new piece in play, you want to know what I can predict of the future…though that really only worked when I could reset."

Papyrus sighed. "You say that, but with how deep your roots go…"

"Then I'll let you in on a juicy fact…" Flowey tilted his head upside down, little fangs forming. "Someone you know is lying in your face."

"What—who!?" Papyrus demanded.

"You think I'm just going to tell you?"

"Of course, Flowey. Lying is very wrong, you know that. I need to know who it is before someone gets hurt from it."

Flowey gave an amused sound. "Guess."

"…I worry…"

"You're suspicious of someone, hmm?"

"…Sans…"

"I'll give you one hint. Sans has yet to actually lie," Flowey replied. "Oh, he's definitely hiding some things about his past, but he's not the liar. No…it's someone a little closer than that. I wonder…will you figure out who's lying to you, naïve Papyrus?" The flower laughed. "It's been fun talking to you, but…we'll see each other around." With that, he was gone, leaving the skeleton along with the little Echo Flowers.

"We'll see each other around."


	10. Reptileation

Sans sat on the couch, staring blankly at the scene playing in the anime Frisk had been watching before they went to bed. He looked at the door, and then looked at his cell phone. It was useless in this world when it came to communication—but it still functioned. It was late…if Papyrus didn't come back soon; he was going to hunt him down even if it meant turning the kingdom inside out in the process.

If there was one thing the small skeleton was certain of, it was that he was not going to lose his brother a second time. The minutes ticked by, and Sans finally lost his patience. He stood up, marching for the door. Just as he went to open it, the doorknob turned. He jumped back as it opened, and Papyrus stepped into sight, though he jerked back in slight surprise.

"There you are," Sans managed in relief. "Where were you? It's late."

"I'm sorry, Sans," Papyrus replied as he quietly closed the door behind him. "I went to talk to Miss. Muffet, and what was supposed to be a five minute thing turned into an hour long conversation. She is quite…talkative."

"Sure she wasn't haggling with you?" Sans joked.

"Oh, that was in the conversation too," Papyrus assured. "She likes her money. Normally, I'd frown upon it, but she's gathering it for her poor spiders…she's just…"

"Extreme with her methods," Sans supplied.

"Something like that," he agreed.

"You seem a little quiet," the smaller skeleton observed. "I'd think at this point, you would have told me half the details about that conversation."

"I will admit I have some things on my mind."

"Care to talk about it?"

Papyrus folded his arms. "Shouldn't this conversation be the other way around?

Sans shrugged. "I was always the better listener. I'm not the one to talk about my problems."

The taller skeleton sighed. "I just talked to an old friend—"

"You'll have to be a bit more specific than that," Sans murmured. "Everyone is classified as a friend in your book."

"Just a friend," Papyrus assured. "They're just…how to put it…concerning me. They're not the same monster I knew when we first met—and I'm not sure if I can persuade them to come back to those old ways. Though—I am The Great Papyrus, so I'm not giving up that easily."

Sans looked up at him. "Huh…"

Papyrus blinked and tilted his head in confusion. "What?"

"Nothing," Sans stated with a wave of his hand. "Well…heh, just thinking, and seeing that we actually have quite a lot on common, don't we?"

"I'm afraid I'm not following…"

"You and I…we have a lot troubling us, but…at least back then, I could hide it behind a smile as well. But then I have to wonder…was my Papyrus the same? Hiding trouble away from me?"

"I wouldn't know," Papyrus murmured. "It seems your Papyrus would have been a little different than me."

"Honestly, I can't find an actual difference," Sans murmured. _And you have no idea how much that hurts._

"It's my problem," Papyrus stated as he moved for the stairs. "And I'll handle it Sans…let's just worry about getting you settled in."

"Yeah…sure…"

"Good night, Sans," was the reply before he vanished into his room. Sans sighed as the door closed, and then flopped back down on the couch.

* * *

It wasn't until the early morning that Frisk opened their door, peering down the hall, before slipping out with hardly a sound. They closed the door behind them and tip-toed over to Papyrus's. They tapped quietly, pressing an ear to the door.

They heard something, so, they quietly opened it, trying to wake Papyrus, but not Sans, though they knew the tall skeleton was a restless type, and really only rested when it was needed.

"Hmm…?" a voice finally answered to assure they heard. Frisk poked their head in enough to see Papyrus sitting up. He smiled tiredly at them, and beckoned them over. It wasn't the first time the child had crept into his room in the middle of the night, so he wasn't surprised.

"Did you have another nightmare?" he asked as they approached. Though, for once, they shook their head, and then crawled up beside him. He drew them into his lap out of habit, placing a hand on their head. "Then…what brings you here, human?"

They made a quiet sound, and then quietly spoke, their words bringing concern to him. "…how do you prove your honesty when even sacrificing yourself won't prove anything?" He frowned. "…is this about Sans?"

The child flinched, and then lowered their head. Papyrus sighed. "I should have known…" He ran his free hand over his face, giving a hum of thought. "Well, Frisk, sacrifice shouldn't be the only way to prove yourself."

They questioned which way they could when it involved the other skeleton monster. Papyrus gave a hum of thought. "Well, how would you show others you care?" Frisk frowned, thinking, before murmuring the general idea. Saying things, giving them things, and so forth. Papyrus nodded. "Maybe straight forward is the way to go…"

Frisk agreed, and then stated that they wanted to get Sans something.

"We barely know him, however," Papyrus murmured. "It'll take some time to figure out what he likes…" Frisk mentioned that they already had a potential idea in mind. "Oh? And what's that?" He listened, and his pupils seemed to glow a bit brighter. "Update his cell phone? Of course!" he quietly exclaimed.

The human mumbled something else quietly. "True," he agreed. "It's rather simple, but because of his origins, he's not connected to our system. I'm sure if we got his cell phone to Alphys, she could figure out how to fix that…except…how do we surprise him? He will have it on his person, how do we get it away without his noticing…?"

Frisk smiled, and leaned forward, whispering to him. He paused, thinking it over. "Well, that would probably work…I forgot how…effective she is at doing such things."

He drew them close. "Right, after breakfast, I'll call Undyne, and see if she can't come and help us with this little issue…"

The child snuggled into him. Knowing how Undyne worked, she'd probably get it without an issue.

* * *

Sans stooped down to peer under the table, grumbling quietly to himself. "Good grief, Undyne is too rough…now where did it go?"

"Something wrong, Sans?" Papyrus asked from where he was on the couch, writing in a small notepad.

"When Undyne came to grab Frisk she ended up rough housing with both of us—and now I can't find my cell phone. Probably fell out of my hoodie pocket during the commot—" He gave an unhappy grunt as his skull made a rough contact with the underside of the table. He drew back, rubbing the offended area.

"Are you all right?"

"Yeah…" Sans managed with a groan, cringing all the same. He crawled away from it and stood up again. "It had to have fallen somewhere…" He sighed. "Pap—Papyrus, what time is it?"

The skeleton checked his cell phone. "Well, it's almost time for me to head to my Snowdin station—the good news is that I don't actually do my Hotland stations today, so you only have this, and the two in Waterfall."

"Oh, come on, that's false advertising," Sans grumbled. "The last one is a stone throw away from Hotland—Literally."

"It's still technically Waterfall…"

Sans looked around, and then huffed. "Regardless, I have to go, and I've got nothing to tell the time…"

Papyrus paused. "Well, I could go to my stations, in all honesty. How about I do that and you keep looking?" Papyrus smiled though, knowing that it was only a lure that Sans took swiftly."

"No, you're not leaving until you get better," he stated firmly. "I'm not about to give Undyne a reason to have my head."

Papyrus had to resist a laugh. "How about you borrow my cell phone?"

The small skeleton looked up. "What if someone calls?"

"Then bring it back—but Undyne told the rest of the guard of my condition—most are going to leave me be unless there's a really dire emergency—aside from Frisk. They had a habit of calling every two minutes—if even that."

Sans raised a brow as he came over to look at the cell phone Papyrus offered out. "Why were they calling that often?"

"Apparently they had questions…about everything…and I mean everything. And they had a habit of calling again almost as soon as we hung up." He chuckled. "Not that I minded when I was on sentry duty, but um…it was still a lot of calls."

"Should I worry about that or…?"

Papyrus shook his head. "They haven't done it since their vent incident."

"Right…well…"

Papyrus dropped the phone into his hand. "Just take it; it'll be fine, Sans. If there is trouble, I have Undyne on speed dial."

* * *

Undyne smirked as she carried Frisk on her shoulders, looking at Sans's cell phone in her hand. "Well, he's definitely going to note that it's gone at this point," she informed the child as they walked up the steps from the Hotland's River station. Undyne preferred using that route to get to Alphys's purely because she didn't have to be in the heat as long.

"Though, punk, that was rather sneaky—aren't you worried that he's gonna be a little ticked?" Frisk assured Undyne they could handle it. Considering he had killed them twice—anything else he would happen to do to them would be simple enough to take on.

Undyne groaned as they reached the top of the stairs. "Ugh, I hate this place," she moaned. "Who's idea was it to have Hotlands?" Frisk was pretty sure it was no one's idea, but that the fire monsters and the like appreciated it.

"Waterfall is fine," she continued. "Not too hot, not too cold. Then you have Snowdin. Just put on a jacket. Hotlands is just brutal. I'm dying, and I really can't improve the situation…" Frisk just covered their face with a whine and insisted they just hurry to the air conditioned lab.

The fish monster knocked—or more so pounded—on the door. "Yo! Alphys! You there!?" she called. They waited a minute, hearing frantic scampering. Undyne smiled in amusement. "She'll open it soon enough…" She snorted. "Adorable nerd…"

Sure enough, the door slid open, showing the nervous lizard. "H—hi, Undyne. So—sorry, I didn't know you we—were coming, so ev—everything's a bit messy. N—not that it isn't messy normally; b—but more so than u—usual…and—and…" She paused as she glanced up. "You…you brought the human…"

"Sure did. Anyways, can we come in first? I'm melting into a puddle here."

"Oh! Right!" She stepped to the side, with Undyne rushing in to the much cooler building. Frisk sank in relief on their perch, glad to have escaped the heat. "S—so," Alphys murmured as the door closed. "Wh—what brings you here?"

"This little punk was wondering if you could help them with something."

"H—help them? With what?"

Undyne held up Sans's phone. "Their friend's phone is busted or something and can't connect to the network at all. I know you're good at this kind of thing, so I snatched it and decided to bring it to you."

"Oh…" Alphys took the phone, looking it over, thinking back to her conversation with Sans. She knew instantly why it wouldn't connect. "Well, I know the issue—but it'll take a while to fix. So…um…I—I'll set up some anime to watch or something…" She looked up to Frisk, slipping the cell phone into her coat pocket as she wrung her hands.

"Um…would you…be interested in a show called Mew Mew Kissy Cutie?" she asked, still wringing her hands as she waited for a response. Frisk tilted their head in slight concern over the nervous display, before smiling and giving a happy hum to assure her of their answer. "Oh! Wonderful! Um—I'll have to go set th—that up! Gimme a minute!"

The lizard darted off, and Frisk looked down to see Undyne trying to avoid laughing. "She's at it again, Punk. This nerd is so…I dunno, it's just fun to watch her when she's all flustered. She does some funny things."

Frisk just gave a hum of confusion as they glanced over to where the lizard was darting about.

Once the lizard had set everything up, she headed upstairs, sitting down at her work bench. She took the cell phone, cradling it in her hands, swiftly becoming lost in her thoughts. A different Sans…with no memory of her involvement in such a horrible mess. Her hand subconsciously stroked the item. It was no different, every little detail—even that little nick near the top was exactly the same, and yet…

Alphys sighed, and set to work, thinking back. When she was younger, Dr. Gaster had been the Royal Scientist. She remembered when she had started out as an assistant, and was an absolute nervous wreck on her first day. Thankfully, Dr. Gaster had been a patient and understanding monster…but that wasn't what helped her through.

* * *

"Good morning," the towering skeleton had greeted. "You must be Miss. Alphys. It's a pleasure to finally meet you." He had one unnerving crack on his skull, going down from his left eye, but thankfully, the eye itself seemed undamaged. Other than that, he was just like any other.

"U—um, g—good morning," she stammered back, reaching out to shake his hand. "Uh…I um…yes…" Gaster smiled and rose back to his full height.

"I have someone that I want you to meet," he said as he led her along to another room. That was the first time she had met him. The small skeleton didn't even notice them enter as he wore protection goggles over his eyes, studying some liquids intently, and writing in his clipboard. It was then, that Gaster chose to knock. "Sans?"

The small skeleton paused, registering it, and then glanced up. "Yeah, Dad?" Then he glanced to the other monster. "Oh." He smiled; stepping away from what he was doing, removing his goggles and gloves before approaching. "This is Alphys?"

Gaster nodded. "Alphys, this is my son, Sans. You two will likely be working together a lot, so I hope you two can get to know each other."

"R—right, um…" She jerked her hand out. He reached out with his left hand at first, but then, oddly enough, it seemed he switched as he thought better about something. Which worked out, as it seemed Alphys was right handed. She only found out later was that it was because he had a whoopee cushion and had intended to prank her. He thought better of it as she had seemed to be the type 'that was too nice to prank'.

"Hey, no need to be shy," Sans stated with a wide grin. "Unless you have a… _reptile_ ation we don't know about?" Gaster drew a hand over his mouth, where Alphys paused, and then snorted in amusement.

"You will also have to handle his sense of humor," Gaster stated with a chuckle. "Especially the ones where he was reaching for the word play."

"Oh, come on. Pap always smiles when I tell him any I know. People love it—especially at Grillby's."

"Your brother smiles and hates it at the same time," Gaster assured.

"Well, that's his problem." Sans kept his grin. "Hope it doesn't bother you too much, I have quite a number of science puns at my disposal."

Alphys giggled. "We—well, if they're like the last one, I think it'll be fine."

Sans chuckled. "Good, or else I'd have to ask for a new science partner."

"What!?"

"I'm joking, sorry…"

Though that was only the beginning.


	11. Less of me Around

Alphys sighed as she watched a chemical reaction. "Another dud?" Sans asked from his own work table, adjusting his safety goggles as he looked up at her.

"Y—yeah," she stammered. Then she gave a quiet groan. "We're not making a dent in this project. With only five human souls right now, I'm not sure how we can use that and monsters to break the barrier."

"We'll figure out something," the small skeleton replied with that usual grin of his. "Because if we can break that barrier…we can see the sun again, and put a smile back on everyone's face."

"Sans is right." The two turned to see Gaster as he came in. He always spooked Alphys with his nearly silent arrivals. "The sooner we break out, the sooner we save the kingdom as a whole. We cannot give up. Right now, this is the only lead we have. We have to make the most of it."

"I know that," Alphys assured. "It's just…our lead isn't working," she said, motioning toward her stagnant chemical reaction. "We haven't been making any headway."

"Hmm…" Gaster moved over, leaning forward to see the chemicals, due to the major height difference between him and his two scientists. "True, these haven't done any reactions."

"So, Dad," Sans started, leaning casually against the table. "What else brought you here? I doubt you came just to see the lack of a show we're having."

The skeleton rose back to his full height, turning to look at his son. "It has come to my attention that we're in need of more equipment, but there's a problem with that."

"Uh-oh."

"Metal is in high demand," Gaster continued. "Unfortunately, we are asking for more than what the kingdom has been producing. We have to wait our turn."

Sans sighed. "It just gets harder and harder to make the metal though. We're going to run out at some point."

"Unused metals can be melted down and used again, though," Gaster pointed out.

"That doesn't help our case too much…"

"Um…" The two turned to look at Alphys as she started to speak. "So you're saying that they're out of material, right?" Gaster nodded. "We—well, um, I…I may know where to find some scrap metal."

Sans perked, and turned toward her. "Where would that be?"

"The dump in Waterfall," Alphys replied as she started ringing her hands nervously. "Due to everything that falls down from the surface world, there's a decent amount of stuff that's made of metal that can be melted down and used for whatever it's needed for…"

"Hm…" Gaster murmured. "That does sound promising."

"Hey," Sans started. "How about sending the two of us out to get some? We really need that metal, and well, nothing's happening here," he continued as he hooked a thumb toward the chemicals they had been working with.

Gaster nodded slowly. "Very well, then, I trust you two can handle it."

Sans snickered. "Don't worry. I'd have to be down in the dumps for that to be difficult."

The taller skeleton's smile widened. He was a friendly monster, but he was eerie in appearance at times. "Somewhere, Papyrus is screaming at you."

"Yep."

* * *

Sans rummaged through a pile of trash as he stood shin deep in water, having rolled up his pant legs to keep them from getting too soaked. "No, no…no…oh!" He reached in further and pulled out the remains of a bicycle wheel. "Hey, Alphys! Got another one!"

"Oh!" She jerked her head up from another pile. "That's great—just put it with the rest of our…shamefully small pile."

"Heh, it's better than nothing," he replied. "I'm sure we'll have the metal pile up eventually."

"Maybe," she murmured as she dug into a pile, practically disappearing into it, her flicking tail being the only useful clue as to where she was.

Sans yawned and then approached her pile, watching her pull out what was formally a hubcap to a car. "So, how did you know about this place?" Sans asked.

"Oh—um…" She looked up, holding the hubcap as if to hide herself with it. "When I was younger, I liked scavenging around in here. Sometimes for spare parts…sometimes…uh…"

"Hm?" he questioned.

"Nothing important—never mind, forget I said anything."

He tilted his head as she suddenly scooted rapidly to the side to escape the conversation. Sans blinked rapidly, and then shook his skull, shrugging helplessly. Well, he wasn't quite sure what that was about…

For a while, the two worked in silence, collecting what metal they could find, and tossing it into its own little pile. After an hour of it though, Sans began to tire, and figured that this was enough scavenging for one go.

"Hey, Alphys—" He stopped, watching as she stared intently at something in her hands. He raised a brow, and approached, wondering what had her attention. "…Alphys?" he asked again.

She yelped, not hearing him approach, and the item she held was tossed into the air. Instantly, he raised a hand, a glow of blue magic surrounding it. He let it come to him, and he paused, staring at it while the lizard just covered her face in embarrassment. It was a DVD case, and while the cover was worn, it looked like it was for a cartoon of sorts.

He squinted, trying to read the faded writing. "M…mew Mew…what?"

"Nothing!" she squeaked, yanking the case back as her scales somehow turned red.

"Mew Mew nothing?" he asked, his grin broadening.

"Let's just go!"

Sans couldn't help a chuckle as the flustered lizard darted off. He lazily followed, levitating the pile of metal as he walked past it. However, it didn't take long to catch up to her as she waited at the exit of the dump, not wanting to leave him all alone, but praying that the conversation would somehow be dropped.

The skeleton stepped out of the water, not even bothering to roll his pant legs back down, before grabbing his lab coat that he left on dry ground. "If you don't want to talk about it, that's fine," he told her. "I'm curious, and I won't judge…"

Alphys shook her head. "It's just silly, don't worry about."

"Well, telling me not to worry…"

"Then what's the point of ever saying that?" she muttered to herself.

He chuckled. "Well, sometimes it works. Come on, I won't tell. I'm good with secrets."

"It's just a…show…that I like…"

"Oh."

She stopped. "Oh?" She turned to face him. "That's all you have to say? Oh?"

He shrugged. "Please, I've got a brother just a little younger than me that's still into action figures. I don't judge that kind of thing. Besides, why would I? We're in the Underground. There's not much entertainment down here, really.

"And I'm not one to talk, considering I like telling horrible puns left and right, despite my brother's protests."

"Your puns aren't bad," Alphys mumbled. "When you're not being lazy with them."

"Heh." He shrugged with a smile. "Well, if you actually like my puns, then maybe I might like…whatever that actually is."

"Wait…are you saying you actually want to…?"

"Sure."

"Oh—wait, I'm not sure if you'll like it. It's about this girl with these weird powers, and it gets really weird and confusing and then there's this one thing that you might find completely awkward and then you'll hate it and me forever which I don't really—" She stopped as he rested a finger over her lips.

"Slow down," he chuckled, and then his grin broadened. "How about I'll be the judge of that?" He drew his hand back. "I got tomorrow off, what about you?"

"Uh…I think so."

"Heh, that's fantastic," Sans replied. "What would you think of coming over and we just hang out? You've been working here for months as my lab partner, but I still barely know anything about you."

"Sorry, I'm not exactly the most talkative person around…"

Sans snorted. "Pap needs to donate some of his talkative self then," he joked. "Then maybe I could have some peace and quiet at the house…"

"I haven't met him yet…is he really that bad?"

"Worst." Though there was a loving tone to his words.

Alphys smiled a little. "Must be nice, I guess."

"What? Having a sibling?" She nodded. "Eh, not if you're the older sibling." Sans's smile broadened. "Half the time, you want to murder them. Then they get themselves into trouble, and you go racing to the rescue…and five minutes later, you were wondering why you even bothered."

Alphys snorted. "From what I heard, he's very sweet."

"He just drives me up a wall."

"Maybe you shouldn't tell so many puns."

He dramatically put a hand to his throat, reaching up. "No, I think I'm dying. Suffocating from a lack of puns. No, going down…" To finish it off, he even dropped to his knees. Alphys paused, staring down at him, blinking rapidly.

"Really?"

He laughed. "I was raised on puns, and by the wishing rocks, I'll have puns for the rest of my life, no matter how much Papyrus complains."

"Poor guy…"

"Anyways, what do you think?" Sans asked. "Want to come?"

"Well—if you don't mind…"

"No problem. We live in Snowdin, right next to the library. Can't miss it really, it's the only home on the main road."

"Then…noon, maybe?"

* * *

Alphys knocked on the door, glancing around at the decorated house. She heard footsteps, too long in stride to be Sans…but too loud to ever be Gaster. The door was yanked open, and a grinning skeleton. "Hello there, reptilian friend! You must be Alphys! My brother has mentioned you would be arriving, it's a pleasure to finally meet you." He offered out a gloved hand, and shook hers rapidly, the motion going through her whole body.

"Bro, easy," Sans's familiar voice came. "I told you to be a little quieter."

"Apologies, but I was rather excited to finally meet her. Anyways," he opened the door fully and beckoned her in. She entered nervously, adjustibg her more casual attire, before looking up to see Sans, blinking as she took in his appearance. He was in a blue hoodie and shorts, and it was just so…strange after always seeing him in a lab cloak.

Sans chuckled. "We look different out of uniform, don't we?"

"Of course you do," Papyrus said as he folded his arms. "At least when you are lazy wearing a lab cloak, it doesn't seem so bad."

The small skeleton snickered, while Alphys looked between the two. "…Papyrus is the younger brother?"

"Wouldn't you believe it?" Sans asked as he came down the stairs. "He used to be smaller…then he betrayed me."

"I cannot help the growth spurt I had," Papyrus replied. "And if it were possible, I would gladly sacrifice a few inches for you, brother…but then, there would be less of me around, and that would be a shame."

"Really?" Sans asked mischievously. "I can't say I agree."

"Oh, you are horrible!"

"Well, at least I haven't made any…"

"Alphys, take cover!"

"What!?"

"Hor-rib-ble puns."

"SANS!"

Alphys stared and then laughed.

"Confound it! You've contaminated the poor woman!"

"Whoops," Sans replied.

"Whoops!? Sans, this is a pressing matter, I must save her at once before there are three pun makers trying to outdo each other around me!"

"Oh, come on, we're not that bad."

"Yes you are!"

"But you know, if you really want us to stop," Sans replied, his tone indicating another pun. Papyrus covered his earholes. "…you could just give us a skull-ding."

"SAAANS!"

He chuckled. "Anyways, don't you have somewhere to be, bro?" Alphys watched him, studying how he went from a laid-back professional, to just being a lazy older brother. Really, an attire could give someone varying impressions.

"That's right! I have more Royal Guard training! Undyne mentioned taking it up a notch—so hopefully that means I have gotten a step closer!"

Sans chuckled. "Well, a step for you would be a leap and a bound for me. I'm sure you're doing fine."

"You're trying to get into the royal guard?" Alphys asked.

"Nyeh—heh—heh! Of course! Where would the Underground be, if I, The Great Papyrus, did not attend to such things?" He did a sweeping bow and bounded effortlessly back to the door. "Fair well for now, and may you two have a lovely date!"

"D—date!?" Alphys squeaked, covering her now blushing face, while Sans turned his gaze away from her to shield the blue tint coming to his skull.

"Papyrus!"

"What?" He blinked, tilting his head. "Is it not a date?"

"No…"

"Oh, well, have a wonderful…hang out!" Then, just like that, he was gone.

Sans sighed heavily, and came over. "Uh…sorry about that," Sans managed. "He didn't mean anything of it. He just…assumes…a lot. Anyways…" He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Did you bring it…?"

"Uh—yeah…" she stammered, drawing out the worn DVD case.

He smiled, taking it. "Here, let's see if I can get this to work…"

The day was spent with them watching the anime, and to her surprise, Sans was content with watching it all the way through. He may not have been as reactive as she was, who would gasp in surprise, or squeal in joy—or cry out in horror. He just quietly watched with a smile, his gaze flicking between her and the television.

In the end, he seemed more entertained watching her reactions, than he did actually watching the anime. Even after it ended, they simply ended up talking for some time afterwards, until the hours grew late. Alphys had to go, but Sans stopped her. "Hey…what do you think of coming over again? It sounds like you have quite a bit of those shows…"

Alphys smiled. "We—well, if you don't mind…" And he didn't.

* * *

Months passed, and steadily, she went over more and more often. One day, at work, however, Alphys paused, raising her head from her work area, where she was all alone. She had heard something…curious, she moved to the hallway.

It was coming from another lab…frowning, she went down to it. What was going on…? She peered through a window, but it was oddly dark. "Huh…that's weird, did someone forget to turn off a machine?"

"Alphys?" She jumped with a startled squeak, turning to see Sans approach. "What's up?"

"There's a weird sound from this room, I think someone left a machine on."

"…huh, that is weird." He approached, raising his hands up to better see into the dark room without his reflection staring back. "I can't see what it is though…" They both moved to the door, and he opened the door.

They took a few steps in, before they stopped, hearing the noise clearly. Sans gave a strangled gasp, and grabbed the reptile moments before a bright light and a loud explosion drowned her senses, and all went black.


	12. Rapid Rambling

Alphys's fingers twitched…where was she…? She closed her hands. One closed around fabric…another didn't. She kept her eyes closed, staying in the black. Every movement felt like an unnecessary effort, and she was quite content to lay there with a blank mind.

She heard machines beeping in the background, but what surprised her was when she noticed that something closed around her hand in return. Alphys groaned, her fingers curling around…someone's hand?

The lizard struggled to open her eyes, not remembering that it took that much effort to wake up. A little bit of light came, and with a whine, she shut them tight again. Okay, maybe she won't look around. The other hand held tighter in response.

Eventually, she risked opening her eyes again, slowly combatting against the slightly more tolerable light. Finally, her vision started to focus, but that didn't tell her much as she wasn't wearing her glasses.

"Errrm…?"

A white blob moved, leaning over her. "Alphys?" The voice was obviously Sans…she closed her hand more tightly, noting that it was probably his hand she was holding. …it took her a moment to realize that, but her arm became locked and wouldn't release. "Alphys, how are you feeling?"

"…ow?"

The form sank a little. "Alphys, I am so sorry."

"…what even happened…?" she mumbled.

"There was an explosion in the room we went to check, remember? I tried to shield you from it, but…I wasn't fast enough, so we both got a little roughed up."

Alphys squinted, trying to see, but it did no good. "Um—actually, I can't really tell."

"Huh?"

"Sans, I d—don't have my glasses…you s—sort of look like a white blob to me…"

There was a pause. "Oh, um…"

"I have another pair in my locker in case mine break…"

"Right, I'll ask Gaster for a locker key—"

"No need…I don't lock mine."

"You don't!?" Sans exclaimed.

"Unless you have the same horrible prescription as I do, there's nothing worth stealing in there."

Sans nodded. "Right…um…then I'll be right back…" He reluctantly drew his hand back, and departed. Alphys closed her eyes, letting his absence buy her a few more minutes of rest. Eventually, he the skeleton came back. To allow her to not waste energy, he gently placed them on her.

She blinked rapidly as everything came rushing into focus. Sans looked ragged, his lab coat torn and covered in soot in some places. However, the thing that caught her attention were the cracks on the right side of his skull. "Oh my god—SANS!"

He raised both hands in surrender. "It's okay, Alphys," he soothed. "I'll be fine. It's not as bad as it looks."

"Your skull is cracked, how can that be okay!?"

"Well…"

"We skeletons are durable creatures," came another voice. They looked up to see Gaster approach with a clipboard in hand, adjusting some glasses. "We can recover from most injuries. Most cracks to our bones will look similar. Like how mine looks less severe…but my scar won't heal." Alphys stiffened.

"Sans is lucky, however," Gaster murmured. "His cracks don't run that deep. They'll heal with time."

Alphys sank in relief. "Thank goodness…"

"What about Alphys, though?" Sans asked worriedly.

Gaster came over, an aqua glow coming over his hand as he rested it on her head. "She has some burns, and took a nasty hit to the head…but really, I think she fainted from the shock, than anything else."

Sans sank in relief, while Alphys fidgeted. "I co—couldn't help it! That thing exploded right next to u—us!"

Gaster nodded slowly, his eyes narrowing as he turned away. "I know, it must have been quite a shock…"

"How was that even allowed to happen?" Alphys questioned. "We're always told to make sure all machines are off when we leave to avoid this thing—and I can't see how anyone could have missed that."

The skeleton monsters glanced to each other with concern. Alphys frowned. "…what's going on?"

"Well…?" Sans asked Gaster.

The tall skeleton sighed. "She'd find out eventually."

Sans looked up. "No one should have been working in that room at all that day…it…looks like that could have been done on purpose."

"On purpose!?" she squeaked. "We could have been killed!"

Gaster placed his hand back on her, and her eyes drooped a little as she started to feel tired again. "Relax…" he murmured, his voice becoming oddly soothing. "We are all looking into it, to find who's responsible. You're safe now, all you need to worry about is…sleep."

Alphys mumbled something incoherently, her eyes slowly closing as sleep nearly reclaimed her, but as she faded in an out, she picked up the rest of their conversation.

Sans looked up. "Dad, admit it, you're a little creepy when you do that to the patients."

"Apologies," the tall skeleton replied. "But she didn't need the stress. She was going to panic, and we have this under control."

"If by 'under control', you mean the lab is no longer on fire and we still have no clue who did it or why."

"Oh, I have my suspicions as to why," Gaster assured.

"Are you going to tell me?"

Gaster leaned down, tapping his son's skull between the eyes. "No."

"And why not?"

"Because there's no need to bog your mind down with reasons like that," the tall scientist replied.

Then, he rose. "When she wakes again, we'll see about getting her home. You two could use some time off, with all things considered…"

"No kidding," Sans murmured, gingerly rubbing his injured skull.

* * *

That evening, Alphys looked worriedly up at Sans, who was carrying her through Hotlands. "Y—you know, I think I can walk, y—you don't have to do this."

"Nonsense, you were hurt—"

"So were you!"

"It's fine, I've got a…thick skull," he replied, his smile broadening.

"Don't you throw bad word play in to distract me!"

He chuckled. "Sorry, old habit. Anyways…where's your house?"

Alphys dead-panned. "You're carrying me there, and you don't know?"

"Hey, you always came to my place, so—huh…I just realized that, actually."

Alphys covered her face, her tail curling up. "Because it's a mess, and I don't typically have guests," she whined.

"Can't be as bad as my room," Sans replied.

"You'd be surprise…" she mumbled, before pointing to a small home past an apartment complex. However, upon opening the door, and…seeing the minefield… Sans stopped. Alphys whined, covering her face in embarrassment.

Sans stepped back out and closed the door. "Actually, we're going to my place," he stated. "I'll have Pap come here to solve that. You're not moving around in there like this."

"I told you—I'm fine!" she squeaked.

Sans shook his head. "Not a chance," he replied. "What if you get hurt again? Besides, it won't take long at all to get to my house."

"But we're all the way in Hotlands!"

Sans's smile broadened. "I know a shortcut," he said, heading for the alleyway.

"A shortcut?"

"You have to promise not to tell anyone though," he replied. "It's a secret."

"O…kay?"

He chuckled, and stepped forward. Alphys squeaked as everything blurred away. She turned her head in alarm as they seemed to have slipped into a void, with symbols flying past them rapidly. She tried to make sense of them, but it did no good, as in another moment, they were suddenly inside Sans's home.

She clung to him. "Wh—what was that!?" she demanded.

Sans gently set her on the couch. "A special ability of mine."

"I need a better explanation than that!"

He leaned forward. "It's an ability I got as a side effect to some things Dad and I had been doing. It lets me teleport around—unfortunately, I can't teleport out of the barrier."

"A side effect—what are you two doing!?"

Sans grinned. "Just trying to get everyone out."

"…and…why…why are you telling me this?"

"Because I trust you," Sans replied, as if it were as plain as day.

She sputtered, trying to find some words to say as he stood. "Stay put, I'll make us dinner. We still have that anime from last time."

As he moved over to the kitchen, he pulled out his cell phone. "Yeah, Pap? …got a job for you, Bro. Yep. Only you can handle it."

Over the next week, Sans and Papyrus took care of her, with Gaster checking in with mild amusement when he found she was at their place, with Sans cleaning out his room and taking the couch during the nights.

Papyrus actually ended up going to Alphys's, cleaning up the mess left in her wake, though he assured her that she still had nothing on Sans. The small skeleton looked away sheepishly when it was brought up.

When Alphys was able to get home, she just stared dumbstruck at the place, and then slowly turned to Sans. "I'll never find anything again. He cleaned it up!" Sans just laughed.

Sans still insisted to stay out of the lab for a while, which annoyed her slightly as she insisted that the lab wasn't about to blow up if she stepped into it again. Sans made up for it by visiting her often.

One day, however, nearly a week after they both recovered fully, Sans came to visit. Though, he invited her out—and without hesitation, she accepted. "Where are we going?" she asked, as he smirked, stepping back, and taking her through a shortcut.

She stared in awe as they fell through the strange place that Sans used to connect to so many other areas. Then, they found themselves in Snowdin's woods. "Wh…what are we doing here?" she asked in confusion.

"You'll see," he assured as he took her hand, leading her through the forest as he slipped out of his hoodie, giving it to her so that she wouldn't get cold. As a skeleton, it wouldn't bother him, so it meant nothing to be walking around in a shirt.

"I don't understand—where are we…?"

He chuckled. "Already here."

Alphys stared forward. They had come to a ledge that overlooked the deep valley in Snowdin. There was a light snowfall, but all around in the open area, there were little orbs of light in numerous colors. "…Willow Wisps…" Alphys murmured, watching their light reflect on the snowflakes, making it seem like a rainbow was slowly falling down.

"You rarely see their kind these days, Papyrus stumbled upon them during some training. They'll probably move on in a few days, so I thought you'd like to see them…"

The reptile smiled shyly with a nod. "Thank you," she replied. "But…I'm confused." He tilted his head, not understanding. "Why are you…doing all these things? I'm just a lab partner…"

Sans smiled, and then took her hand, causing her to cover her face with her free arm. He chuckled softly. "You're hardly 'just' a lab partner," he assured. "You've come over so often…you're fun to be around…talking about theories…watching you reacting to those shows, no matter how many times you've seen them…just…hanging around…"

He looked to her. "I'd claim you were a friend, but…I don't think that's a strong enough word."

"Wait…what…?"

He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Well…I …" He chuckled. "Well, now that I'm trying to say it…"

She tilted her head, not sure if she was following him correctly on this. Alphys felt she knew what he was trying to say…but she didn't want to risk being wrong.

"Well, let's start with the safer route…" He met her gaze. "I like you—and I like you a lot."

Her scales darkened. "I—uh—um—oh—uh—m—" She covered her face.

"Is that a flustered yay, a flustered I don't know what to think, or a flustered sense of horror? Don't leave me on the edge here."

She raised an arm, whacking him on the shoulder for his last remark. "You and your puns!" she squeaked.

Sans glanced to the edge beside them, and shrugged helplessly, taking her response to not be the latter of the possibilities.

"So…?"

"I…I like you too—" His eyes lit up happily, but before he could say anything, Alphys began rapidly rambling. "But I didn't want to say anything, because I didn't really think you'd think the same—and we're partners in the science lab, so can that even work? I mean, what if your Dad found out and he doesn't like me—or your brother disapproves—or it turns out—"

Sans listened in amusement, before stepping over, shushing her gently with a chuckle. "Half of your worries are anime exclusive. It doesn't matter if we're lab partners. That would only be an issue if we were working together in the Guard. Dad and Pap like you, so that's not an issue either."

She tapped her fingers nervously. "Th—then…what do we want here? I'm not good with this kind of thing…"

"Well…I…guess 'like' wasn't the strongest word…" Her scales darkened as he started to draw her close. He wasn't quite sure how to go forth with this, but she was in the same boat, so they ended up stumbling around in the dark together.

The lights of the Willow Wisps danced around them as Sans let an arm slip behind her head. They were nearly the same sight, allowing him to lean forth without an issue. The two hesitated briefly, before finally, they kissed.

To be more accurate, it was more that his teeth touched the tip of her muzzle, due to a lack of lips, and the fact that his face was always a permanent grin. Yet, what he lacked there, he made up for with his magic.

Alphys gave a little squeak as she felt a little magic dance on her muzzle. It didn't hurt her, and instead, she pressed closer for a few more moments, before she pulled back, and then used his hoodie to hide.

Sans chuckled softly. "Gonna hide from me now…?"

"I'll—I'll come back out!"

"…will you?"

"…eventually."

"…should I just come back tomorrow?" he teased.

That had just been the start of it all…it was after that when they started officially dating. The skeleton family had been a major support to her, but then…she didn't know what Sans and his father had been doing. …but something had gone horrible wrong.

And in the end, Papyrus only saw Alphys as a dear friend…for Sans and Gaster were forgotten to all, but her.


	13. Watered Down

Alphys shook her head, coming back into the present with her thoughts. She stood abruptly, clenching the updated cell phone, giving it a test ring. "Hello?" Undyne asked.

The lizard peered over the edge into the lab area below, feeling queasy when she saw them a little too close to the elevator. "I—it works!" she called down.

The fish monster glanced up with a wide smile. "Ha! Knew you could do it, ya nerd!"

Alphys sheepishly ducked away, and then came downstairs a moment later. "Uh—h—here…" she managed, handing it over to the fish monster.

"You don't want to come give it to him yourself?"

The lizard jerked her hands up, waving them frantically. "No! I'm good! You two s—surprise him, all right?"

"You sure?"

"Y—yeah, I still have a lot of stuff to do, so—so, be—best we do it that way."

"Well," Undyne replied as she scooped Frisk up. "If you say so, but you have to come with us sometime, got that?"

"R—right, understood," the lizard stammered.

"All right, see you later, Nerd!"

"Bye!" she practically squeaked as the two left. The reptile heaved a sigh of relief, and then looked nervously to the elevator. "I r—really need to block that off…"

Looking around, she locked down the lab, and then went below. She gulped as the doors slid open, revealing the darkened lab. The reptile hated coming down here…but she honestly didn't have a choice in the matter.

She poked her head around every corner, ready to dive back the way she came, if need be. In theory, they shouldn't bother her—they hadn't yet after the initial…the initial… She shuddered at the recollection.

Alphys didn't see anything of danger though, and so she went about, tending to empty food and water bowls. She could hear them thumping about in other areas, but she opted to ignore it. She could feed them and then dive into a research room and see if she couldn't figure out something…

After feeding them, she went to where the flowers were kept. She looked at them all, drawing a hand over her face. What was she even doing? She was an inventor…a mechanical genius, but this…this was out of her league, in all honesty.

The patients…the only good thing that had theoretically come of this, was that they were still alive—though that term was being used rather loosely. "Sans…" she murmured, clutching her head. "Why did you leave…I need your help—and—and this isn't what I wanted when I said that…I don't know him. _He_ isn't _you_ …"

The Sans she had known would have been with her every step of the way on this project, and probably could have helped her avoid this mess all together. This other Sans…she knew he had been through a lot, so she couldn't judge, but…he was serious, devoid of the humor she had grown to love with her own.

They were supposed to be the same Sans, and yet, there were such clear differences. Mainly, the current Sans was one devoid of hope.

She sighed…then again; he had his reasons, from what she gathered. His own timeline didn't treat him kindly.

"It's interesting, isn't it?" a new voice asked.

Alphys shrieked in alarm, jumping with a whirl. Amongst the flowers, one of them was smiling in amusement. "Y—you!" she stammered.

Flowey laughed softly. "Yes, little old me." He hopped forth, and then dug his roots into an empty pot.

"Wh—why did you come back?" Alphys stammered, her fingers twitching nervously.

"Now what kind of question is that?" The flower extended his form so that he could press close, backing her into the mirrored wall. "If I didn't know any better, I'd think you'd be upset with my presence."

Alphys gave a nervous squeak as he drew back, satisfied. "We know I keep an ear to the ground. When I heard there was a 'Sans' around, I wanted to see if he was really like you used to tell me back when we worked together."

"Before you went crazy!"

"Oh, you're mistaken," the flower replied. "I didn't go crazy. I was just doing my own thing, and I happened to end up working with you to see what could be done."

"What do you even want!?" Alphys demanded.

Flowey smirked. "Sorry. That's my little secret. But you're clever, Alphys. I'm sure you'll eventually put it together.

"And what do you want NOW!?"

"Your reaction," Flowey practically purred.

"Why!?"

"Because Sans is here—of course, not the one you knew, if what I've heard is anything to go by."

Alphys clenched her hands tight, a rare bout of anger rising in her as the flower ribbed at her.

"He's not at all what you told me. Sounds like he had so much fun in his timeline. He's just a broken watered down version of the one you knew. Though, it sounds like he and you had nothing going on in that timeline. Such a shame. It could have been seamless, really, if the timelines were a little closer."

"Did you cause him to be like this!?" she demanded.

"Me? My, you sure like to pin the blame on me."

"You killed everyone down here before!"

"Right, right, you remember the resets. I was bored, and besides, I was stopped."

"Luckily for you, you couldn't find a way to beat Papyrus. I'm just glad you reset so no one remembers."

Flowery snickered at that, amused by how unaware the two monsters were of one another's abilities. "But no, _I_ didn't do anything to him," Flowey assured. "In fact, he blames that little human for his predicament. Interesting, don't you think?"

Alphys frowned in confusion. "Why? F—Frisk is…"

"A sweet little human?" The flower cackled lowly. "You forget that other timelines have many different rules. His human destroyed everything." The flower sighed. "I admit that would spice things up…"

"Don't you even dare think about it!" Alphys exclaimed.

"Oh, don't worry, I'm letting the human do this on their own. I'm not intervening…for now."

"So how long until you get bored again?" Alphys demanded.

"Well, at least you know that it'll happen," the flower replied.

"I'm not letting you go on a murderous rampage again because you're _bored_!"

"Oh really? Then stop me." Alphys jerked. "Oh, that's right. You can't. You even tried once, and we saw how that went. I must admit, I was caught off guard with what you did to Undyne. Shame, I thought you had liked her. And there she was melting away—"

Alphys gave a blood-curdling shriek and sent a blast of magic at Flowey. He dodged it expertly, and then sent out vines that coiled around the reptile and slammed her against the wall as he extended his form so that they were face to face once he knew she was immobilized.

"Tsk, tsk," he chided. "You should be careful where you're flinging your magic."

"What's it matter to you?" she managed, her limbs twitching as she tried to discover some amount of freedom. "Even if I killed you, you'd just come back!"

"Such a pity too, hm?"

"What fascination do you even have with the human?" Alphys demanded. "Don't think I haven't noticed what's been going on!"

"And pray tell, what might that be?" Flowey demanded.

"You're resetting when they die!"

Flowey paused, looking surprised, which caught her off guard. However, it was quickly replaced with a smile. He chuckled…and then he laughed, howling his amusement. "Oh, you're something, Alphys!" She felt so horribly small in that moment.

"Oh, you all know so much…but in the end, none of you monsters know anything at all." Flowey rammed a vine into the mirror beside her head. "You don't understand the motives…or the power…or who is who. Really, you might have a better grasp on the world if you could find the other."

"The other?"

"But it won't be any fun if I told you anything."

He suddenly dropped her, letting her hit the floor roughly. "Get back to the drawing board, Alphys. The resets are not happening the way you think they are. I'm biding my time, so you better find out just what I'm up to."

"Why are you just causing grief!?"

The flower snickered as he drew back. "Why…?" He tilted his head, an eerie smile on his face. "How about just for the giggles?

"Anyways, Alphys, it's been fun talking to you. This Sans has really spiced up the timeline, so I'm going to enjoy myself…but I'd be careful. The fun for me won't end anytime soon, after all. So you should figure out where everything stands, before it gets out of hand."

Alphys snarled a little. "Damn you! I wish I had never injected that damn Determination into you!"

"You wished you never injected it into anything," the flower replied with a snide tone. "Anyways, it's been fun, Alphys. I'll see you around." Just like that, without warning, he was gone, leaving her alone in the lab.

* * *

Sans entered the house, glancing to the couch to see Frisk snuggled up in Papyrus's lap. He sighed, and couldn't help a genuine smile. Okay, that was kind of adorable…and he was starting to let his guard down around them.

Papyrus looked up. "There you are, Sans! How did it go?"

"Smoothly. There weren't even emergency calls on your cell," Sans replied as he handed Papyrus's phone back. He raised a brow as Frisk stifled a giggle, and used Papyrus's scarf to hide their face. "…okay?"

Papyrus chuckled. "Good to hear, Sans!"

"Any sign of my cell phone?" The two shrugged innocently, causing the small skeleton to heave a heavy sigh. "Figures…anyways, I'll make dinner."

The two waited for him to enter the kitchen, before Papyrus gave a wry smirk, and glanced to Frisk. They covered their mouth to cover their excited squeal as he drew his phone back out, dialing a number.

Sans blinked in surprise as he heard a phone ring, but he didn't pay no mind with it until he heard it's third ring. "Huh?" He poked his head out. "Pap, is that your phone?"

"No," Papyrus assured. "It isn't Frisk's either!" he said as the child held theirs up for proof.

"Then what in the…? Can't be mine…" he muttered as he started searching around for the source. Maybe Undyne dropped hers in the commotion—he wouldn't be surprised.

After a couple more rings, he found it under the television set. Knowing it would soon go to the answering machine, he swiftly answered it. "Hello?"

"Glad you found it."

Sans jumped in surprise, whipping around to look at Papyrus holding his cell phone. Sans blinked, and then looked down, realizing some of what was going on. "It's…mine? Why…this thing can't connect here…"

At that point, Frisk couldn't help themselves. They burst into laughter, falling off Papyrus's lap. The smaller skeleton swiftly started putting things together. "…I've been played for the whole day, haven't I?"

"I wouldn't put it like that," Papyrus replied. "But yes, your phone was never lost. Frisk snatched it in secret to take it to Alphys so that it could connect to our network. This way, you can be in contact with any and all friends that you make—and most importantly—you can now reach the Great Papyrus, should the need ever arise!"

Sans looked down at his cell phone. "Geeze, Pap, Kid…come on, you didn't have to do that…"

"On the contrary—after getting my scarf mended—and by an expert, no less—we had to return the favor!"

"Guess I can't be upset over that," Sans murmured, looking down at the cellphone as he ended the call, and checked some things, then smiled. "Heh…you have all the same numbers. I don't have to change a thing in my contact list." He paused. "Wait—you didn't go through any of this, did you?"

"Of course not!" Papyrus assured with pride. "It would be most inappropriate if I looked at anything in your phone. All we did was made sure it connected. We didn't check old messages—or even peer at your contact list."

"Thanks Br—Papyrus," he replied, swiftly saving himself. "Uh…anyways…I think I'll go finish dinner…and it looks like I'll have someone to thank later."

Frisk nodded with an energetic hum. "Indeed, Alphys was of great help!" Papyrus exclaimed.

Sans chuckled softly, and went to finish dinner. Once they had all eaten, he headed upstairs. "Gonna be on the balcony if anyone needs me."

"Understood!"

He smiled, though as he stepped outside, it faded away. Alone, he sat down, leaning against the railing, going through his phone. There were voice messages he wanted to listen to…but he didn't want to risk it when those two could bust in on him—or with monsters below overhearing it.

Instead, he went to his text messages, his eyes drooping as he did so. During the last days of his timeline, so many people tried to get into contact with him. Alphys, Undyne, various other guardsman…even Grillby…and of course, Papyrus.

 _'Sans? You disappeared on me—I left you some voice messages in case you didn't see them. I…brother, the human, I'm going to talk to them. Maybe they're just scared, and don't understand that what they're doing is wrong.'_

There were various updates from him, but most of the important stuff had been in the voice messages. The dying echoes of those he had known, stored away on this phone. At the time, it had been another genocide route…Sans had muted the phone, knowing what would happen. Instead, he just waited, alone in the hall, knowing they'd come eventually.

The child did not get through the Underground in one fluid try. No, there were odd resets that would happen in the middle of the runs, except, when they came again, they hadn't slowed their slaughter in the slightest.

There had been another time where they had reached the golden hall, but Sans had managed to continuously kill them, until they had reset again. Sans thought that would be what would happen…but in the end, they kept at it…and won.

The only hope he ever had for his world, was to get back there, and force a reset—but he had no idea how to go about any of that. It seemed impossible…the best he could do was make do with this. At least in this world…everyone was still alive. The fact that he was a stranger…that was the price to pay.

Papyrus was alive and well, Undyne still stood strong…and the human was a harmless little thing. "Bro…" Sans murmured. "…If I accept this…if I…start to like this world…would you be mad?" He sighed. "Heh…probably not…you've only ever been mad at my laziness and puns."

"Still…it feels like I'm betraying you if I start to accept this world…to enjoy it. To…be able to enjoy being with this Papyrus. How am I supposed to handle that? …you're gone, but he isn't, and it feels like I'm simply replacing you if I try to move on with my life here…"

"…I…I wished I had picked up the bloody phone," he muttered, clenching it tight. "I thought things would reset, and it wouldn't matter, but…it did matter…I should have done it like I did the first time…and said the things I wanted to say…the things you needed to hear. I'm sorry, Bro…

"You have no idea how much I miss you…"


	14. On the Same Page

Sans ended up staying out on the balcony, even after the others had gone to bed. He just couldn't sleep. While he always had the access to his cell phone and the like…this was the first time he had decided to go through the messages. He had contact with the world around him, but…it felt…fake, in a way.

He could call everyone he knew, and yet…it didn't matter. Sans sighed, looking down at the last known remnants of his world. People had been desperately looking for him…but he thought it wouldn't have mattered if he had replied or not, figuring he could have just killed the child again.

The small skeleton silently stewed over things late into the night, before the sound of a door opening caught his attention. He frowned. Someone left the house. He quietly opened the door, just in time to see Papyrus slip outside. Sans frowned, and then followed silently, teleporting to the door, and effortlessly following the footprints in the snow, that went behind the house to…

Sans abruptly stopped, staring at the back of the house. "No…" he muttered. "There's no way he…" He shook his head. "Pap wouldn't…good grief…" The small skeleton trekked over to the back door of the house, already hearing rummaging and the like from within. Was Papyrus really…then again, with this timeline, it seemed to make sense.

He approached the door, raising his hand. He paused, thinking it over…before sighing as he knocked. Initially, there was no sound. "Yo…Pap—Papyrus…?" He sighed. "I know you're in there…and uh…if it's anything like my timeline…I think I know what you're doing…so uh…I…I might be able to help, if…you let me in…."

At first, there was no reply, and Sans felt as if he was being told to leave. There was a click, and the door opened, revealing Papyrus as he looked down in concern. "…you know about this?"

"Pretty sure…gonna let me in, or play 20 questions?"

A flicker of a smile seemed to show briefly on his skull, before he opened the door fully, allowing Sans into the familiar workshop. The small skeleton looked everything over. It was eerily similar, aside from the tidiness that came with having Papyrus around.

The covered machine in the back… Sans went to the drawers, skimming things over, and then looked back to the other skeleton. "Yep…we're mostly on the same page," the skeleton assured, leaning against the wall.

"Were…were you able to fix…whatever this is?" Papyrus asked.

"Not before everything went horribly wrong," Sans replied. "Look, I'm not sure if I can fix it, but…how about you show me where you are? I'll compare it with where I was before I couldn't work on it anymore…who knows, maybe between the two of us…we can actually manage something."

Papyrus came forward. "Sans…how were you the one that was working on this?" he asked in quiet concern.

"Doesn't matter," Sans replied as he looked at some blueprints. "Ooo—this, won't work, Papyrus," he said, holding it up, and pointing at something. "When I did this I nearly lost half the workshop…luckily I escaped the blast, or that would have been a little messy…"

Papyrus frowned. "Really? …sorry, I'm not very…science inclined, so…"

Sans blinked. "You've been working on this without knowing what you're doing?"

"I don't know who else to ask," Papyrus replied helplessly. "What was I supposed to tell them?"

"True…" Sans murmured, pausing as he looked at a picture. "…this is different…" he murmured, holding it up. "Looks like someone else drew it in this timeline…" Sans paused.

"Hmm—what is it?" the tall skeleton asked as he came over, noticing that something had occurred.

"…I…I drew this in my timeline," Sans finally realized. "Which means…you drew this one!"

"What?" Papyrus asked in confusion.

"This makes sense," Sans murmured, starting to pace. "I mean, I felt like I had to of had a connection with all this, but it's starting to make some actual sense…of course I would have drawn it. Before the memories disappeared…"

"But why did we forget the memories in the first place?" Papyrus asked.

Sans groaned, scratching at his skull. "I don't know—it was supposed to be an accident. But…" The small skeleton paused as something clicked. Alphys…he looked up to the tall skeleton, thinking briefly. It was obvious that while Alphys had some of the puzzle pieces…she hadn't shared any with him.

"Actually, let's not focus on that for now," Sans murmured. "We're on the same page with the machine saving whoever's been forgotten, correct?"

"I was able to gather that much, and build most of the machine myself with the instructions left behind, but…"

"Could only go so far on your own?"

He sighed. "Pretty much…"

"Right," Sans murmured. "Hmm…got a blank blueprint sheet?"

"Maybe…?"

Sans went rummaging around, finding a blank sheet, and then a writing utensil. "I'll put down what I had last, and we'll start working from there," he said as he grabbed a ruler to aid him in drawing.

For a while, neither said anything, as Papyrus quietly watched the smaller skeleton work. Sans seemed…at home with this, working expertly with the materials around him. He was far more confident with the tools, whereas Papyrus just followed instructions and prayed that something worked.

Though Papyrus had done a decent amount of research to aid him in his predicament, but books on the subject only took him so far without a proper education on the matter. "…were you interested in science?" Papyrus asked quietly.

Sans was focused on the project, and the tall skeleton swore that if Sans weren't a skeleton monster, he would be biting on his tongue as he thought, a habit he noticed with Undyne when she was mulling over music or battle strategies.

However, it seemed Sans did actually hear him as he finally looked up. "Um…yeah, I guess. Can't recall it though…but I had a whole bunch of science books in the house…I was doing so much research, but…those had always been there…I kinda just assumed…"

"Sans…"

"Yeah, Papyrus?"

"Um…well…"

Sans looked up with a soft smile. "What? Is it my turn to get you to talk?" he half joked.

"Well…a long while back, there were…a lot of those books in the house." Sans froze. "I…I didn't know what to do with them initially, I didn't realize this was back here…so I had given them all away…which means…someone in this house used to be connected to this, right?"

Sans slowly nodded. "Right, but…" His brow furrowed. "Just so many missing pieces to this whole puzzle."

"…did you live here as well in the other timeline?"

Sans shrugged. "Doesn't matter," he replied, not even looking at Papyrus that time.

"You're just not telling me," Papyrus stated, folding his arms in mild annoyance, knowing that Sans was doing it purposely.

"Well, what do you think?" Sans asked.

"I think you did," Papyrus replied. "You said the books were in _the_ house. Not _my_ house. Plus…you were working in here."

"Then think what you like."

"But what if I'm wrong?"

"Guess that's just the risk you'll have to take," Sans stated simply.

"You're really not going to say?"

"What? I told you I know your counterpart. What's so surprising if I know about the house? We were both sentries—you just focused more on the puzzles in mine."

"…were you close?"

Sans stopped, hovering over a line. "…guess you could say that," he slowly replied as he went back to what he was doing.

"…is that all you're going to say?"

"Probably."

"You're impossible."

Sans seemed to smirk. "I'm not impossible. I'm right here."

Papyrus twitched. "…at least it wasn't a pun."

"Me? Tell puns? I bone know what you're talking about."

"SANS!"

The skeleton snickered, glad to have gotten the conversation off topic. Papyrus was known to fume over puns for a bit, so he allowed the other to grumble in the background as he went about finishing the new blueprints.

"Annnd…here we are," Sans finally stated, as he drew back. "Here…"

Papyrus looked over, staring at all the details. "Hmm…okay, yes, I think I see the changes."

"Say, want to work on it now?" Sans asked. "The sooner we fix it, the sooner things will get better…" Though Sans realized that as far as suspicions went, he might be harming himself with pursuing this goal…it was fine. He wasn't supposed to be here anyways, it wouldn't matter if solving this would mean he would be pushed away.

He was just the replacement…it was probably better to salvage the original. "Well," Papyrus murmured. "No harm in trying."

"Then let's get to it."

They worked all throughout the night, with Papyrus steering his questions more too how everything in the place actually worked. Sans was happy to answer as they worked on the machine.

The skeletons had no issue as morning started to return. While they could sleep—a skeleton monster could go for a long time without doing so at all. An advantage Papyrus had utilized for a long time, only picking up a sleep habit when Frisk started to live with him.

There were a few accidents in the process, as things didn't go completely the way they had planned, but sadly, they would have to worry about it later. Papyrus coughed, fanning the air in front of him. "Well, that could have gone ever so slightly better," he replied.

Sans came out from where he was working on the machine, wiping a liquid off his skull. "No kidding," he gasped.

"Sans!" Papyrus exclaimed, causing the smaller skeleton to jump.

"W—what?"

"You've got oil and grease all over your hoodie!"

Sans looked down, and groaned, muttering something under his breath. "Fantastic," he said a bit more clearly.

"How about I take the hoodie?" Papyrus asked. "I'll get it cleaned."

Without a second thought, Sans handed it over. "…I need to invest in more clothes," Sans mumbled.

Papyrus agreed with a hum. "Whenever it's convenient, we need to take you shopping."

"…eh…not too many complaints here," Sans murmured. "Just uh…take good care of that, please?"

"Of course," Papyrus assured. "Now come, Frisk is likely stirring and might find us gone. Then they might think we're horrible monsters for leaving them all alone, and I cannot let them think such dark things!"

Sans couldn't help a huff of amusement. "Good grief, Paps…err, Papyrus…"

"Nyeh—heh, don't worry about those nicknames you keep using," Papyrus replied. "I do not care which you use to refer to me by."

"Sorry, they just come out naturally from…"

"From talking to my counterpart," he surmised. "I figured as much."

Sans glanced up at him. "Are you…really okay with that?"

"Of course I am!" Papyrus assured. "What kind of friend would I be if I did not accept the nicknames that I have been given?"

"…a not fun one?"

"Exactly! And I, The Great Papyrus, shall be the most entertaining friend around!"

"Even more so than that Mettaton guy?"

"He can be the most entertaining monster, I'll be the most entertaining friend. There is a great difference."

"If you say so," Sans said, nearly calling Papyrus his brother, but saving himself at the last moment.

"I do say so, now come, let us have breakfast and prepare for the day!"

"I'm coming, I'm coming…"

"Lazybones!" Papyrus called in amusement as he stepped outside.

"Eh…guilty as charged."

Papyrus sighed. "Sans…"

The two entered moments before Frisk came out of their room, yawning tiredly. "Greetings, Frisk!" Papyrus called, placing Sans's hoodie on a little hook by the door. "Are you hungry?" They gave a sleepy nod. "Then, fear not, I, The Great Papyrus, shall make you breakfast!"

"Better start running, Kiddo…" Sans joked.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Papyrus demanded, raising a brow.

"Just messing with ya, Pap." Frisk perked at the nickname, and smiled slightly from their little perch, giving a hum of delight. "Anyways, how long till breakfast?"

"At least half an hour," Papyrus replied.

"Okay, I'll be back by then," he assured, adjusting his white shirt as he headed toward the door.

"Where are you even going?"

Sans chuckled. "Somewhere."

* * *

Alphys sighed, waiting for the elevator down in the True Lab. She had finished feeding the Amalgamates breakfast. She fidgeted, tapping a foot nervously. "Come on…" she murmured. "Hurry down…" Why was it taking so long?"

It opened, but to her shock—and horror—there was someone in there. She squeaked, and then suddenly plowed forward, shoving into Sans, forcing him into the back of the elevator, frantically pressing buttons to get the doors to close. "Wh—what are you doing here!?" she squeaked.

"Sorry," Sans managed as she stepped back. "Didn't see a 'Do Not Enter'."

Alphys moaned. "I'm putting one up now." That was far too close. She turned away. "Is there…something that you need?"

"…I…just wanted to say thank you."

"Huh?"

"For the cell phone," Sans replied. "I was told you got it working…"

"Oh…" She gave a shrug. "No problem…"

"And uh, Alphys…" He sighed. "It's kinda awkward to talk to one person who actually knows me…"

"Sorry…"

"Not your fault…" His pupils dimmed. "I…I know my counterpart was obviously important to you, but…"

"I know you're not him, not really," Alphys murmured. "Don't worry about it…I…I moved on, I was just…caught off guard. I thought you…"

"I know…and I'm sorry about that…"

"So…I guess you wanted to talk about something…"

Sans nodded. "I was in a science related accident, wasn't I? The consequence was that everyone forgot me."

"Yes…"

"Except for you…"

Alphys nodded. "I'm not sure how…I think my Sans did something to protect me, because he had a bad feeling…" She remembered the night before it happened…he had even told her to not come to the lab…

"So, my question is…was there another person in that incident, aside from me?" Alphys stiffened. "I'll take that as a yes," he continued. "Look, the bare-bones of it is that I was trying to save someone in that same accident on my side. Except, obviously, it wasn't me. So…who was this other person? Can you tell me?"

She hesitated. "I didn't know him _that_ well, but all his notes would still be around…"

"Who?"

"The Royal Scientist before me…" She met his gaze. "Dr. W.D. Gaster."


	15. Vaguely Familiar

Sans frowned with a look of confusion on his face at the name. "Dr…Gaster?" Alphys nodded shakily.

Alphys nodded. "He was the Royal Scientist before me," she clarified again, wringing her hands as she did. "He and Sans were working on a way to break the barrier—but something went wrong. Now the world doesn't remember them."

The skeleton put a hand to his skull, muttering the name. It felt vaguely familiar to him, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't seem to remember the source.

The elevator reached the top, and she shoved him out. "I'm sorry," she muttered. "I, I don't know what else I can offer. I wasn't there the day it…happened. All I know was that they were working on breaking the barrier, and then…"

"Is there anything you know that might even be of interest? What was Gaster like? Did your Sans say or do anything peculiar?"

"Dr. Gaster…" she murmured. "I didn't know him too well. He was kind, even put up with puns—"

"Hey…"

She found a bit of amusement in his protest. "A healer, as well as…" She paused. "No, you probably shouldn't know that."

"Wait, what?"

She pushed it aside. She wasn't sure what would happen if she explained that Gaster was his father in this timeline. "Um…he…gave off an eerie vibe at times, though. He usually creeped me out."

"And me…?"

"Mostly the same," Alphys murmured. "He was a good lab partner, told puns, annoyed his brother…" Her eyes dimmed. "It's a shame Papyrus had to forget them. On one hand, it's nice…on the other…but…" She tossed her hands up. "There was nothing strange about him except one of his abilities."

"Teleportation?" Sans guessed.

"I figured you had it," she mused.

He shrugged. "Don't like advertising it…"

"He _was_ secretive about it…due that he wasn't born with it," she murmured.

Sans paused. "Wait…it wasn't with him from the start?"

She shook her head. "No, he said it was a side effect from something they were testing, that allowed him to take those…shortcuts." Sans stared silently. He wasn't born with it? Come to think of it, he couldn't remember using it as a child… "Only reason I found out was because I got hurt and he didn't want to walk all the way back to his house with me."

"And there the laziness began," Sans mused.

Her tail hit his shin. "He was hardly lazy. He was diligent in his work," she replied defensively, folding her arms as she did so. "He did enjoy his days off when he didn't have to, but he never slacked from what I knew."

"Heh, then again, he didn't have to deal with the world resetting."

Alphys paused, and looked at him. "…you, know about that?"

There was a dark chuckle, his pupils dimming. "Oh, I know about resets. Seeing as the thing that killed everyone I knew kept using it to avoid dying."

Alphys stared. "And in this world?"

"Still got it," Sans replied. "I guess I got incorporated into this world's…'code', so to speak. Your Sans would probably be aware of it too…"

"Gods, I'm not the only one," Alphys managed shakily.

"You're saying you remember the accident…and the resets?" Alphys nodded slowly. The skeleton looked about ready to say something, but then he stopped, thinking it over, and for the time being, he thought better of it. "Heh…like it or not, looks like we have stuff to talk about."

"Not now," Alphys insisted.

"No problem," Sans assured. "I promised Papyrus I'd be back in time for breakfast," he said as he started heading for the back door of the lab. "…look, I'm sorry. I know my being here isn't helping…and you had probably managed to put things to term…I'm not him, and I know that. But…I dunno…if you need anything; let me know, all right?" With that, he vanished, taking one of his many shortcuts.

* * *

He returned to the home just in time to have breakfast. "Sans!" Papyrus chided. "Coming back to breakfast with only seconds to spare is not what I call 'on time'."

"Cut me some slack, I had to _brake fast_ so that I got here without injury."

"Sans! That was terrible!"

"I'm a skeleton, of course it was—"

"Don't you dare!"

"Ter _rib_ ble!"

"Oh gods, he actually said it! Have you no shame!?"

Frisk giggled and went over to the couch with their meal. Sans sighed with a slight smile, taking a plate, and going to join them. "So?" Papyrus asked. "Did you actually find Alphys?"

Sans perked in surprise. How did he figure that out? "Uh yeah, I talked to her a bit," Sans replied.

Papyrus perked, instantly catching that something was up. "Sans…?"

He looked up. "Hey, Pap? When could we talk?"

"Well, Undyne mentioned being free today…Frisk, you're still going, right?"

Frisk nodded, but made a soft sound of concern. Papyrus smiled, and ruffled their head. "It's nothing to worry about, we're just going to talk, all right? I have most of the day off, though in the evening, I am supposed to take care of my Snowdin and first Waterfall station…"

"I can handle those, B—Pap," Sans replied. "I don't care if you're mostly recovered; you're still a little battered from that whole mess."

"Sans, really, I'm fine. I could easily handle my stations."

"Go, and I'll torture you with puns."

"That is cruel and unusual punishment right there."

Sans shrugged. "Won't hold up in court."

Frisk no longer understood the bickering at this point, but they were snickering anyways, finding it funny when those two had a battle of words. "Frisk, why do you find this so amusing? I don't understand!"

Sans snickered. "Kid doesn't find it amusing…"

"Oh no…"

"They find it…"

"Sans, must you really?"

" _Humerus._ "

"He had to…"

* * *

After breakfast, Frisk bid their goodbye, and left for Waterfall. The brothers cleaned up, and once done, they finally sat down to talk. "So…what's going on?" Papyrus asked in confusion.

"Does the name, Dr. Gaster ring any bells to you?"

Papyrus gave a hum of thought. "It…seems to ring a bell, but…no, I don't place the name really."

"Figured…" Sans sighed, slumping down into the couch. "I learned a few interesting things, anyways, so maybe if I talk, something will pop back into our heads."

"…so…what did you learn?"

"Gaster was working on a way to break the barrier," Sans mused. "But obviously, something went wrong with that. The consequence:" Sans raised a finger, pointing up. "Was that he was erased from the timeline. His actions still remained, but his memories gone from all that we know…"

"Don't forget…" Papyrus mused.

"You must have drawn that, realizing you were losing memories of him," Sans replied.

"You said that picture was different for you though," Papyrus mused.

"…I probably drew the one in mine," Sans stated. "I don't think your counterpart even remembered who this 'Gaster' was…or…he was really good at hiding it."

"Afraid I can't say."

"Now, the question is…we're sentries," Sans continued. "Why do we have a connection with whoever the Royal Scientist is?"

"I don't know," Papyrus replied. "It seems to make sense if you did, but…I don't do science."

"I think you're pretty good with the mechanical side of things," Sans supplied. "You might have worked on machinery. I mean, look at all the puzzle contraptions you make. You obviously have a clue about what you're doing."

"But you were really good at making that blueprint, you knew what you were doing with stuff…"

"Well, then again, we don't know how old you were when this happened," Sans reasoned. "Maybe you were just starting out and weren't into making your own blueprints and machines at the time."

"Possibly…"

Sans sighed. "As for me knowing him…maybe I was working as a scientist prior…"

"That would better explain your knowledge," Papyrus stated. "After all, no sentry would need to know how to make blueprints, or work…whatever that machine is."

"Yeah…maybe I did…as for the machine…" He groaned, scratching his skull, and then he paused. "They were trying to break the barrier…hmm…say," Sans mused. "If um…If you wanted to break the barrier, but couldn't apply direct force to it, how would you go about it."

"I'd try to get around it."

"Now, on the theory that anything goes, no matter how insane it sounds…what would you do?"

"Hmm…teleportation."

Sans gave an eerie smile. "And when that doesn't work?"

Papyrus paused, giving it some thought. "Well…if we can't break it, or move around it…it would have been best to stop it before it was created."

"Exactly…"

Papyrus jerked. "Huh?"

Sans chuckled, his pupils dimming to the point that they almost weren't even there. "When teleportation didn't work…Dr. Gaster moved to time. That makes sense, doesn't it? How else would you erase yourself from existence, unless you were tampering with something that big?"

"But…it was so risky—why would he do that?"

Sans shrugged. "Desperation, I guess. He might not have been all right in the head…"

"So, then…this machine we're working on?"

"Might be what can get him back," Sans supplied. "We obviously want that to happen if we were fighting to not forget, but…"

"…do we have any idea what to do?" Papyrus asked worriedly.

"Well…" Sans shrugged. "Just got to keep trying till it works, though…" The small skeleton grew oddly quiet.

"…erm…Sans?"

"…Pap, if there was someone else who knew about those events…and the resets…would you want to meet them?"

"What kind of question is that?" Papyrus demanded. "Of course I would! I think it would be horrible to find someone else who suffers through the resets as well. Think how confused and alone they must feel! And…to find someone who knows what we're trying to solve—who remembers such things, that would help us, and this 'Gaster' person!"

"Heh…guess I'll need to set up a meeting for you two, then," Sans replied.

"Wait—you actually know someone!?"

"Yep. Figured it out."

"Who—who are they!?"

"Secret," Sans replied. "You'll find out when they tell you—though I'll try to make that soon."

Papyrus sank into his seat, staring at the ceiling as he leaned back. "Another person who knows of the resets…that's…that's great, I think."

Sans chuckled a little. "Hard to tell. Good in the aspect of there's someone else to talk to, but bad for them because they're in the same boat as us." Papyrus nodded, and with a grunt, Sans forced himself to stand up. "Anyways, how about we go see what we can do? Now that we have a better idea?" he asked as he extended a hand.

The tall skeleton was quiet for a moment, and then smiled, accepting the offer. "I think that's a good plan! Nyeh—heh—heh, of course, we need to keep an eye on the clock. You have work to do after all."

"Yep, poor me. I'll die of boredom…maybe I can download some weird app so that I can do something while sitting there."

"You really are a lazy-bones…"

* * *

Undyne sighed in content, sitting down at her table. "So, how's the tea, Punk?"

Frisk gave a hum of delight, sipping it daintily, looking at the arts and crafts spilled out on the table. The child had thought Undyne had been joking when she spoke of making friendship bracelets and scrapbooks, but to their surprise, she had actually been dead serious about that part.

Undyne chuckled, while Frisk leaned forward, pointing at a bead that was slowly rolling away. The fish monster grabbed it, and then slipped it onto a string. She glanced back to the child, her smile slowly fading. "Hey, Punk…" She leaned forward. "What's up? I know you don't say much but…you're _really_ quiet today…something wrong?"

Frisk shrugged, and Undyne gave a grunt. "Come on, you gotta know what's bugging you. You just don't want to say…" Frisk took a few more sips of their drink, contemplating on what they would even want to say. Eventually, they finally asked her something.

"Huh? What would I do to prove to someone I mean well?" Undyne hummed. "Well…if words aren't enough, sacrificing…"

Frisk mentioned that putting their lives on the line couldn't count.

"What? Punk? No way, I wasn't going to suggest that. I mean, look at me. I do that on a daily basis. How do I prove to someone I mean well, without doing something of greater measure?" Undyne sighed. "Sacrifice doesn't just mean your life. Maybe…giving up something of yours, or a piece of yourself that is better off lost."

Undyne sighed. "I mean…for some people, saying that they'd give up their life…I can't let them. No life is worth giving up on, and…" Her ear fins droop. "And I know someone, who has me worry all the time. Every moment they're alone…every moment no one is watching…I fear they might sacrifice themselves…give up…do something cowardly…"

Frisk gave a sad hum, while Undyne drew a hand over her face. "I'm sorry, Punk, I don't…I don't really know the answer…maybe I'll ask Asgore. He's good to talk to. Maybe he has an idea…just…show them you care in little things for now. Get them gifts—doesn't matter what, so long as you put your heart into it."

The child shrugged, stating that this one was trickier than some. They wanted to earn this one's trust, but if even a grand sacrifice of life didn't count, what would? Undyne sighed. "I don't know…my best bet would be to well, talk to them, learn more about them, try to figure out who they are, and what they really want. Maybe you'll learn a little more about yourself in the process."

"Anyways, punk, no good worrying about it right now, is there? How about we put our focus on something else…because I see a runaway bead!"

Frisk looked over to see that one was falling off the table, and that Undyne lunged to get it…except that jostled the whole table, and set everything up in the air. Frisk yelped, covering their head as things showered down on top of them. The onslaught stopped, aside from the clattering of beads.

"Uh…" Undyne's earfins drooped back sheepishly. "Whoops…you okay there punk?"

Frisk nodded, only for both to pause as some beads floated in their tea. They stared at it, and then at each other, before laughing. It didn't fix things, but Frisk was starting to form ideas on what to do.


	16. T a l k t o M e

Late that evening, Frisk returned to Papyrus's home. "Hello, Frisk!" the skeleton greeted, letting the sink water run. Frisk questioned what he was doing. "Oh, I'm preparing to clean Sans's hoodie…it got a little messy."

Frisk giggled and commented that they were surprised that he hadn't done it sooner. "Yeah, well…I didn't have a good enough excuse to get it away from him until now. Though, you're probably hungry, aren't you?"

The child shook their head, assuring them that they had dinner at Undyne's. "…and the house is still standing?" Frisk giggled and nodded energetically. He sighed with a smile. "Somehow, her house lives to see another day!" Frisk tried to insist it wasn't that bad…but Papyrus shook his head. "Frisk, that house has been set on fire. It was only because of swift thinking that it's still standing."

Frisk gave a hum, shaking their head as they approached, tilting their head up at the tall sink. They still didn't understand why he had done that—Even if it was to store more bones under there…

The child was quiet for a few moments, and then asked if Sans was more open as of late. "Well, 'more open' might be a little generous," Papyrus replied as he removed a glove, testing the warmth of the sink water.

They gave a confused sound in response to that. "Well," Papyrus murmured as he stopped the water flow. "He's more talkative in the sense that he's saying enough to help me with something, but…as for himself…" Papyrus sighed. "Getting him to talk about himself is like trying to get Undyne to throw snowballs that don't send you back to a reset."

Frisk made a comical face as they remembered that little detail when it came to playing games with the fish monster. Papyrus grabbed the hoodie off the counter. "He should talk though," he murmured. "I know he's…keeping a lot in, do you know what I mean?" Frisk was dead silent, unresponsive, before slowly nodding.

"If he talked about it, I'm sure he would feel much better," Papyrus continued. "It can't be any good to keep that much in. I mean, even without him saying too much…that had to of been terrible…being the last one…all his friends—family—and he won't talk about it, and it's so—" A comical sound of frustration escaped him. "I have no words, Frisk. No words!"

They made an endearing sound, and hugged one of his legs. He couldn't help a smile, petting his head. "At least we have a little bundle of energy to keep things going." He poked their side, smirking at their little squeak of protest, before darting away, watching him from a now safe distance.

The skeleton chuckled, and then went to empty pockets, dead-panning when he found packets of ketchup and mustards…and a relish jar. "Sans. …there really are no words for you." Frisk snickered a little, unable to help themselves.

As he reached into the pockets again to make sure he got everything, he paused as he found some more fabric. He gently drew it out, and then froze. Frisk stiffened, brown eyes widening as they saw a tattered red scarf. "What…?"

Frisk nervously crept forward as Papyrus leaned against the counter, slowly sliding down, sitting on the floor as he stared at the scarf. Frisk whined, looking at him. "…it's mine," he mumbled.

Papyrus knew that his counterpart would have perished in that timeline, but…he hadn't expected to find remnants of himself. He stared at the scarf where bits of dust clung to it. Frisk whimpered, covering their face. "…he had this…" the skeleton mumbled. "Why did he take the time to grab this?"

The human was tearing apart that timeline, killing every one…why did Sans take the time—and the risks to grab the scarf? Sans just said they had been good friends, and while it could have been simply that…something was nagging at Papyrus.

There was more to it somehow… The skeleton stared blankly at the scarf, as he started to think of earlier conversations between the two of them…the constant nicknames, teasing…and that one other name…Sans would always catch himself before he finished it.

Sans had obviously been close to his counterpart, and the more he thought about it, the more he realized just what the small skeleton had been hiding…and when it clicked…Papyrus jumped with a shout. "I have been a fool!"

He started to pace, causing Frisk to back out of the kitchen. "I've been a fool, and that lazy-bones is not subtle in any sense of the word!" Frisk questioned what was going on. "Errm…" He hesitated, unsure if he should say anything. "Um…human, I can't tell you right now. Sans obviously didn't want to share that particular detail, and I'm going to respect it as much as I can…"

Frisk looked at the scarf nervously, and then asked what he would do. "…clean the hoodie and put everything back," Papyrus stated simply. "When I find a good time…I'll try to bring it up…I just…" He shook his head. "Sans needs to be spoken with about this particular detail…do you understand?"

Frisk made a soft sound, and asked if they could help. Papyrus gave a hum, tapping his foot, before tenderly setting the scarf down, and working on cleaning the hoodie. Frisk watched him worriedly as he worked intensely, putting so much force into what he was doing that Frisk wondered if the hoodie would actually survive.

It was…scary, to see him like that. Usually chipper, easy going, and hard to upset in any way…it was a little startling to see him so serious. He wasn't angry, at least, Frisk didn't think he was, but…he was a little terrifying as he glared at his work, obviously deep in thought over what he was going to do with this information he had found.

The skeleton muttered to himself as he worked, though Frisk couldn't quite make out what he was saying. Eventually, he slumped a little, seeming to have run out of steam as he let loose a sigh. "What are we going to do with that lazy-bones…" he muttered to himself.

Frisk hesitated, and then scooted back into the kitchen, coming over and hugging his leg. Papyrus paused, and then looked down, before scooping them up. "I'm sorry, Frisk, I'm worrying you, aren't I?" He drew them close, petting their head. "It's nothing to worry about. I, the Great Papyrus, am conjuring a solution as we speak. Now…"

He moved them over to the couch. "I won't let you end tonight on a sour note. Watch that second season Undyne found, I'll join you as soon as I'm done here." Frisk nodded, and set to work with that, with Papyrus going back to clean the hoodie. It took a while to get the new and old stains out, and then he went upstairs to hang it from the balcony so that it could dry, quietly fretting over the tattered scarf, and hoping he could put it back before Sans returned."

* * *

The rest of the evening was spent watching anime with Frisk, before he sent them off to bed…and waited. The hoodie dried, and he put everything back, laying it neatly on the table. Eventually, Papyrus jerked his head up as the door opened, and Sans came in.

He looked over to the couch. "Hey, Pap…still up?"

"Indeed, I, the Great Papyrus, do not have the greatest need for sleep. It's mostly for recovery purposes."

"And you're still recovering."

"It can wait a few hours," Papyrus assured. "I'm nearly back to top condition."

"Heh…" His eyes fell on his hoodie, and without any hesitation, he slipped it back on. His hands slipped into his pockets, before he gave an odd pause, something dawning on him. "Uh…anyways, Papyrus…"

"Yes?"

"If you're not about to go to sleep right away…do you…want to continue working on that?"

Papyrus paused, thinking it over. He needed to talk to Sans…but perhaps if they worked together, he could find a way to smoothly start such a conversation…this was more troublesome than it should be, as there simply was no easy way to start it…but who was he if he didn't at least try to find a simpler way to do this?

"Sure," the tall skeleton replied, standing up. "Everything else was taken care of today, so it should be fine."

"Heh, great…and maybe you'll remember to take that rumored crow bar back so that Undyne has it for when she comes over."

Papyrus couldn't help a smile. "Nyeh-heh, she doesn't really need it. She has other tactics to get our little human friend to release her leg…not that it causes her any actual issue." He headed out, his smile fading as he did so.

Work went by with only idle conversation, mostly just 'do we have this' or 'maybe this will work'. Papyrus was abnormally quiet, trying to find a way to start the conversation, but to no avail.

At least, not until Sans unintentionally created an opening for him. "Pap…something up?" Sans asked. "You've been quiet…and that's saying something."

"I will admit I have some things on my mind…"

"Want to talk about it?"

"I certainly do," he replied.

"Then, what's the hold up?" Sans asked as he twisted a bolt into place, struggling with the wrench.

"…you may not want to talk."

Sans paused, and sighed. "No, I don't," he replied. "Sorry, Pap, but…I rather not…it…it happened, it's done, and…I want to keep it that way."

"I don't think that's the best way to approach it though," Papyrus countered. "Sans, you're bottling it all up, and it's all going to just burst out if you don't let it out on its own."

"I'm fine—" Again, he almost said it, and Papyrus knew it for sure. "I can handle myself. I'm good with this kinda thing. Heh…I've had a skeleton of practice after all."

Papyrus folded his arms. "There was no effort in that pun at all. Obviously, something is wrong."

"No way, Pap," Sans assured. "I'm just…" He yawned. "Tired…maybe we should call it a night," he said, putting the tools down, and heading out. Papyrus frowned, and marched after him, knowing full well that Sans was faking.

They got back into the house, with Papyrus reaching forward, and grabbing him by the scruff of his hoodie. "Wha—hey!" Sans quietly exclaimed as he was swiftly moved and dropped onto the couch, with Papyrus sitting down next to him, tapping his fingers on his knees as he stared at the TV, trying to figure out what to do.

"It's no longer a matter of if you want to talk or not," Papyrus managed. "There are no ifs, ands, or buts out of this one." He turned, his gaze landing firmly on the small skeleton. Sans went to protest, but then hesitated. For the first time in all his life…Sans saw an orange glow in one of his brother's eyes. " _ **Talk to me**_."

Sans jerked in surprise at the command. The ability to put that kind of force into his words—Sans never thought Papyrus could actually speak with such a tone. That his brother could be this… intimidating. Sans was silent, feeling on edge. It was the first time he could clearly remember someone using that tactic on him. Now he saw why he could unnerve so many people when doing that.

Albeit, the only way Papyrus could be even more intimidating was by using his height to his advantage. Thankfully, the tall skeleton didn't seem to plan on an actual scare tactic. Rather, he was putting his foot down, being firm about what he wanted.

The small skeleton managed to advert his gaze, trying to find an escape route, but Papyrus was the one sitting closer to the door, and even if Sans bolted for a short cut, he knew his brother was more than capable of grabbing him before he'd get to the stairs.

He couldn't escape…but he didn't want to talk about it. He closed his hands tightly, trembling. There was no way out—what did he do!? "Your brother," Papyrus stated, deciding that he had to initiate this, or Sans would just continue to stall. "You only mentioned him briefly, but, I think I know who he is now…"

Sans felt a chill race up and down his spine as the glow died away. Papyrus sighed. "Honestly, I should have figured it out pretty quickly—but maybe one just wouldn't come up with that conclusion when they've been an only child. In your timeline…" Papyrus slowly met Sans's gaze. "My counterpart was your brother, was he not?"

The skeleton shook, grasping at his hoodie tightly. "…how…?" he managed.

"…the scarf," Papyrus mumbled. "I saw it when I was emptying your pockets to clean it…"

Sans's face darkened. Prior to giving it to Papyrus, it had just been second nature, and he hadn't thought about it at all…it wasn't until he picked it up off the table that he even had the thought occur to him, but because Papyrus didn't say anything right away, he thought he had been safe, somehow.

"And…so…?" Sans mumbled.

"So?" Papyrus replied. "That's all you're going to say to me? So?" The tall skeleton sighed in exasperation. "Honestly, what are we going to do with you? It's more than 'so'. All this time, you've been…you've been living here." Sans's fingers dug into his hoodie to the point that his ribs could feel the tips digging in.

"I already knew you were sharing the roof with a look-alike of someone who…took everything away from you. …but I didn't realize that you were also doing it with someone who would have—in your world—been your brother, and doesn't even notice it…or know anything about you…and I'm sorry."

"It's not a problem," Sans managed, but it sounded like he was quite literally saying the words through his teeth, forcing each word out in a vain attempt to make them sound like the truth…but Papyrus was not about to be fooled.

"There are obvious problems, Sans," Papyrus replied. "Why won't you be honest with me?"

It was hurting.

 _'Sans, I wish you were honest with me. I can't help but feel that there is more troubling you…'_

"Sans, please, talk to me."

 _'Won't you talk to me, Brother? I know there's something bothering you…'_

"…Please?"

"Won't you—"

 _'Take care of yourself?'_

"Try to talk about it?"

Sans shook his head harshly. "Stop," he insisted, wanting both of them to pull back. "It's fine."

"But it isn't."

"It's going to be fine."

"Sans, you're dodging again."

"…it's what I'm good at."

"Sans!" Papyrus exclaimed softly. "Why are you doing this to yourself? Why won't you talk to anyone—it doesn't even have to be me—!"

"Because the only one I could ever hope to talk it out to was you!" Sans suddenly shouted. "But you're not him!" Yes, his brother would pry him open, get him to talk—he was pretty good at it, even if he could never truly make it all better. But…it was all different now. "You look like him, you act like him, but you're not him, and I feel like the worst monster in the Underground whenever I talk with you because I feel like I'm betraying him!"

The small skeleton didn't realize that he was still going—that he had even snapped in the first place. It had just taken a little extra nudging…and now it was all coming out. "How am I supposed to handle my brother's look-alike when he's _gone_!?" He ran out of steam, breathing shakily as he sat huddled up on the couch, his head down, his eye sockets empty.

Papyrus looked to him sadly, breathing out slowly. "…I can't say…I can't speak from experience," he murmured. "But…if I had a brother…and he lost me…and…he found a counterpart to me. I'd…want him to be happy. It wouldn't matter if he starts befriending the other…because he'd be happy. And I know he wouldn't be replacing me. The other is still different from me, and in the end, we're still brothers. So, Sans, if it had been me…"

He turned to Sans with a little smile. "I'd be okay with it."

Sans stared at him, shaking as florescent tears started to form, escaping his eyes and running down his skull, before he covered his face, shuddering. "Dammit," he managed, his voice betraying him. "You have to sound…exactly like him, too…"

Papyrus reached forward slowly, and then rested his hands on Sans's shoulders. The small skeleton looked up shakily, before suddenly being pulled into Papyrus's lap as the tall skeleton wrapped his arms around him. "Apologies," Papyrus murmured, a hand stroking Sans's back, a habit he picked up when he tried to soothe Frisk.

Sans kept his skull against Papyrus's armor, not looking up. "…why do you two have to be like that…" he muttered. "People take advantage of it…"

"It's the risk we take…"

Sans sighed. "…do you…mind…?"

Papyrus gave a soft hum. "No, I don't. I want to help you…so whatever you need, I won't mind."

"Then…can I…?"

"If I don't mind, then I doubt he would have either…"

"…I…I'm sorry about all of this…"

"Don't be," Papyrus murmured. "I'm just glad you were able to spill some of it out tonight…now…let's get you some rest."

Sans let out a weak chuckle, returning the embrace.

"…thanks, Bro…"

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

The last half of this chapter was one of the first scenes I had for this story. owo

Actually, this whole story was based off a weird dream. I couldn't follow it all that well, but I did know that the Sans in that dream didn't know Papyrus and Frisk.

Absolutely NOTHING in that dream takes place in the story, though.

I just took the concept.

But I also basically wrote Just a Stranger for the excuse to write this scene~ Eeee~

*Totally doesn't adore this scene or anything.*


	17. Impastable

The next morning, Sans offered breakfast to Papyrus and Frisk. "Hmm…" he murmured as he watched the human poke at their spaghetti. "Should probably invest in making some other food for the human, they need more in their diet than just spaghetti."

"Hrrmm…" Papyrus sighed in defeat. "I suppose you may have a point."

Frisk looked up quietly at Sans with a tilt of their head. He smiled, and ruffled their hair. "Heh…sorry, is Pap drowning you in Spaghetti, when there are so many other—"

"Stop him!"

" _Pasta_ bilities?

Papyrus moaned, hanging his head. "Why?"

Sans chuckled. "Sorry, but who _noodle_ you'd hate puns?"

"Sans, one more, and I will throw you out myself!"

The small skeleton snickered, raising his hands in surrender. "Okay, okay, bro, I'll stop…"

"Phew…"

"For now."

"Am I really asking for too much?"

"Hmm, let me think about that," Sans murmured. "Uh…that would be a…yes…yes, you're asking for too much."

"How!?" Papyrus demanded, tossing his arms up in exasperation.

Frisk giggled at the banter, while Sans just folded his arms, the grin remaining. "Puns are a requirement in my life."

"Again. How!?"

"Mmm, secret."

"Oh, you're impossible!"

"You mean im _pasta_ ble!"

Papyrus deadpanned, stood, and grabbed Sans. "Yes, you are."

"Actually," Sans murmured as he was carried to the door. "I'm not sure if 'impossible' is accurate. "I'm here, after all."

"Intolerable then," Papyrus murmured, dropping Sans—gently—onto the porch, while Frisk darted around them. "Oh—where are you going?"

Sans looked up. "I talked to the Kid this morning, and we agreed on that I'd help them around those vents in Hotlands."

Papyrus blinked. "Really now?"

"Yep, I've got my ways around it, so figured we might as well try. The kid _does_ want to get to the Castle, from what I gather…"

The tall skeleton sighed. "That they do…"

"Then I'll make sure they don't have to touch the vents at all," Sans assured.

"So long as you are careful, I suppose…"

"Come on, how many faulty vents can I possibly have to teleport them across?"

"Not you," Papyrus stated, before pointing at the human. "I'm telling them to be careful—and to save often."

Frisk nodded eagerly, assuring that they would, even crossing their heart as they did so.

Sans chuckled, and then reached out, an action that caused a wide smile from his brother. "Ready to go?"

Frisk happily took his hand, seeming to like the idea that they could get over some of the past, though a part of them wondered why he had a sudden change of heart. "Come on Kid," he murmured, grinning as they walked. "I know a shortcut."

When they were out of everyone's sight, Frisk gasped as he pulled them into a shortcut, instantly clinging to him, looking around in fear, before he pulled them back out, and stepping into the first room with vents in Hotlands.

Frisk jerked their head up, opening their mouth, but nothing came out. "Relax," Sans murmured gently. "Just a special ability of mine," he mumbled. "This is as far as you got…right?" Frisk nodded shakily. "Look, I don't know what you tend to do, but I'll be around. If you need help, call me. I'll get you over any over vents."

He was just about to leave when Frisk grabbed his hoodie, tugging on it. He turned in confusion as they questioned him softly, asking why he was suddenly being so helpful.

Sans sighed. "Maybe because I've been unfair," he admitted. "So…I'm going to give you one chance, Kid. Prove me wrong, got it?"

Frisk blinked a few times, and then squeaked, hugging him happily, swearing that they would. "Uh…okay Kid, great; fantastic…I don't have a crowbar."

The child snickered and then released him. "Anyways, I'll be around," Sans assured. "There's a few things I have to attend to…"

Frisk nodded, and he ruffled their hair once more before looking about. "Actually, I'll stay until you're done with room…"

When Frisk didn't need his help, Sans pulled out his phone, swiftly texting Alphys.

'You there?'

It didn't take long for him to get a reply, and he was quick to text back.

'Hey…um…you going to be free soon? …we need to talk.'

He had to wait a few minutes for the next reply.

'Possibly…' was her vague response. 'What are you doing with the human?'

Sans blinked and looked around the area for a camera. 'Just making sure they don't need to use the vents…'

'R—right…there…there was that faulty one—that was horrible…'

Sans paused, and then thought quietly. _Wait a minute…didn't it raise her suspicions when Papyrus mentioned it to her after a reset…?_

The skeleton texted swiftly.

'Do you pay attention to the resets much?'

There was a pause. 'Sometimes…I'm usually holed up in my lab and having to make up for lost work because of resets…sometimes I don't take note of details…'

Sans sighed. _With everything going on, and how many times that kid does reset, she probably got the resets confused—or was still in shock over the death…that was probably when she realized the kid could even reset, meaning…when Papyrus mentioned the broken vent, it may not have occurred to her that he learned because of the Kid…or maybe she assumed that Frisk told him, and he still didn't know of the resets…_

The small skeleton shook his head. Honestly, all of this was more complicated than it should be…

Once Frisk was done in the vent room, Sans made sure they got out safely, though he stuck around as he realized the first floor of Hotlands was covered in vents. The good news was that other monsters left Frisk alone due to his presence, thus, allowing them to avoid any deaths.

Eventually, they came to a row of vent shafts that Sans quickly got around. Right as he got them across though, his phone rang. "Oh—uh, go ahead if you want, Kiddo, I've got this." They nodded, and scampered off. "Hello?"

"Sans!" It was Alphys.

"What—where's the fire?"

"There is no fire yet—look, I don't have time to explain, but something will happen in the next room— _don't_ interfere."

Sans's eyes narrowed and he peered into the darkness, only to jump as a stage came to light, and he saw the robot. "Uh…I know you said don't interfere, but…I have a feeling I should? That _is_ supposed to be a killer robot, if I remember right…"

"Trust me!" Alphys exclaimed. "Everything will be fine—just don't interfere!"

"I could stay out of it," Sans agreed. "Though, what am I supposed to tell the Kid afterwards? Sorry, Kid, couldn't help because…?"

"…you were on the phone!"

"I can see the bloody commotion, Alphys."

"Um—um…uh…magical barrier?"

"Will they really buy that?" Sans asked.

"…they buy literally everything else!"

"Alphys…"

"Y…yes…?"

"What's going on?"

"Oh dear—um—oh, look at the time—I'll call you back, but seriously, stay put!"

Sans stared vacantly at the phone as the connection ended, his pupils non-existent in his eyes. He turned, watching the whole thing on the stage take place. Once it was all done, the child scurried to a save point.

The small skeleton just stared, and then dialed Alphys's number. He heard her pick up, and instantly, he cut to the chase.

"What the Hell, Alphys?"

"Oh—um—I—I can explain!"

"What. The. Absolute. Hell?"

"I said I can explain!"

"Better start explaining, then," the small skeleton replied.

"Um…uh…"

"Hold the phone," he said, as the kid came racing back to him. "Sorry, 'bout that, Frisk, um…there was a…" he sighed, his pupils dim, but thankfully there. "Magical barrier. Couldn't get through…guess it's gone now. Anyways, uh…there shouldn't be any vents for a while; can you manage on your own?"

Frisk nodded, and then darted off.

"Okay, seriously. Explanation. Now."

A few minutes later, Sans slid a hand over his face. "You know they're going to find out, Alphys…"

She whined. "M—maybe they won't…"

"No, I have a feeling they will—even if I don't say anything about it."

She made another sound of worry. "…will they be mad?"

"Probably…" He could practically hear her flinch. "…not," he finished.

"What—" she stammered.

"That Kid will forgive you pretty quick—heck, I'm not sure if they'll even be mad."

"How…how do you know?"

"I…may or may not have killed them once or twice…"

"What!?"

"Hey, I thought they were a little murderer on the loose!" he exclaimed in his defense.

"You killed them!?"

"Twice…"

"Sans!"

"They reset!" he defended.

"I can't believe you!"

"Says the one pulling this elaborate trick!"

"…touché…" Alphys mumbled.

Sans shook his head. "Point of the matter is, they weren't even mad I killed them…more concerned, really, so…you should be fine…but, I'd say figure out what you really want to do here, I mean, seriously…was my Alphys doing this?"

"How am I s—supposed to know that?"

Sans sighed, and then shook his head. "Probably not. She was too busy trying to help everyone escape…" He suddenly grew quiet.

The lizard flicked her tail nervously. "…Sans…? Are…are you going to be okay?"

"Fine," he muttered. "…just thinking…wondering what the survivors are doing…maybe Asgore stopped them…or at the very least—maybe your counterpart got everyone away."

"…I hope so…look…I'm…I'm sorry about your timeline…I'm sorry about…how this ended up for you."

"Could be worse…" Sans replied, his pupils vanishing. " _ **I could be dead.**_ "

Alphys shuddered, not having to see to recognize that tone. She had seen her own Sans like that once on a day she rather not remember, and the image in her mind sent shivers down her spine. "Is there a…brighter side to it?"

Sans sighed. "There's a lot of bright things to this. Everyone is alive…my brother…he's here…the child is a pacifist…everything is just perfect…heh…" He looked down. "I just wished I was oblivious to the fact that I was in a different time line…then…I could just keep living in bliss, thinking everything is fine."

"Sans—"

"Don't," he muttered. "You can't change that, Alphys. Everything is _not_ fine. Somewhere out there, my home is still in shambles…and here I am, living in a world like nothing is wrong…you know…it kinda feels wrong to be here sometimes. Talking to friends and family like they're still alive…sliding into the place of the original Sans like he doesn't matter…

"Sorry Alphys," he muttered, tilting his head eerily. "I guess I'm a little parasitic."

"Sans—!"

"Look, I have to go get something…but don't be surprised if I drop in soon…be prepared for visitors."

"Sans, I don't!"

"Just be ready, you're not backing out on this one."

"Sans!" He hung up. The lizard moaned, and covered her face. "One way or another, someone's going to be the end of me…"

Sans reappeared at the entrance to the workshop, knocking a few times. "…who's there?"

"Sans." Papyrus opened the door. "Oh, come on bro, you didn't finish the joke."

"What joke?"

"Say it…"

"…Sans who?"

"You're welcome," Sans replied.

Papyrus paused, and then turned. "That was reaching—and had no context!"

"Sorry, needed to lift my mood," Sans stated.

The tall skeleton frowned, sensing something was up. "What's wrong?"

"Oh, just talking and learning a few things, no biggie. I'm mostly annoyed."

"With who?"

"The other person who can sense resets…"

Papyrus frowned. "You still haven't told me who they are…"

"Nope," Sans replied. "Gonna fix that. How much spare time you got?"

"A few hours, why do you ask?"

"Cause I'm taking you to them."

"Now?"

"Yes, now—"

The two yelped as time reset, sending them back to their positions from wherever Frisk last saved. Sans gave a grunt, falling onto the ground. He laid there for a moment, before hearing his phone ring.

He picked it up, already knowing who it was. "Yeah, Bro?"

"Sans! The human—I thought they were in Snowdin when you came back!"

"I told them to call me if they got into any more trouble."

"Frisk doesn't do 'call when they're in trouble'!" Papyrus exclaimed.

"Ugh, sorry Bro, I'm not use to them wandering around where monsters attack them."

"Excuse me?" was the dead pan response.

"…Okay, so maybe I'm a different story—you know what I mean!"

"Just…go check on them please?"

"No problem, I'm right by them again—just…meet me at the entrance to Hotlands, okay?"

"Sure thing!"

Sans sighed, and stood. "Come on, Kid. What'd you do in the three minutes I was gone?"


	18. Borrowed Time

Sans was quick when it came to finding Frisk—all it took was a simple shortcut to find the child again. "Kid…" Frisk jumped with a squeak, and turned, with Sans giving them a deadpan look. "Call me if you get into trouble—does that not make sense?"

Frisk shrugged, ducking their head sheepishly. The skeleton sighed, drawing a hand over his face. "Honestly, what was Pap doing before you got here…" The child responded with another shrug.

He huffed. "All right, what was the malfunction, and Kid, I swear if it was a vent—" They shook their head, assuring it wasn't, before stating that it was only a monster that caught them off guard.

"Here," Sans murmured. "I'll walk with you, then they can't—" Frisk pushed him away gently, insisting that they wanted to handle this on their own. "Are you trying to die?" the small skeleton demanded.

The human shook their head again, before quietly insisting that they could handle it—that they wanted to handle it alone. "But you're going to get killed again," the skeleton protested. "Paps'll have my head—" He flinched at his own poor choice of words, and stepped back, remembering the event all too well.

He shook his head, desperately trying to rid himself of the memory. "Look," he managed, fumbling for words. "You need to be careful. It doesn't matter if you can reset, someone is going to worry, I'm sure you know that. Especially if you're going to pull resets every three minutes."

Frisk responded softly, saying they knew they were likely to die, as they were nothing remotely close to being a fighter. Everything they did was in self-defense as they tried to defuse the battle…they were just bad at dodging, and it would just take a few tries with each new monster to figure them out.

"Why are you even bothering though?" Sans muttered. "Honestly, I could just teleport you straight to the King's Castle if I wanted to."

The child shook their head, mumbling softly. They were able to help so many monsters during combat—as strange as it sounded. So, they wanted to help everyone—even if it meant taking the long way—even if it meant they'd die dozens upon dozens of times in the process. Sans heaved a heavy sigh.

"You're ridiculous, you know that?" Frisk shrugged. "Look," he mumbled. "I guess…I can let you go, and I'll just tell Pap I tried, but do remember that you _can_ actually call when you're getting overwhelmed, got it?"

Frisk nodded, raising their hand in a little wave, before darting off again. Sans shook his head in exasperation. "Honestly, that kid…" He looked up. "And save often, you hear!?" he called. "If we have to reset a lot, I rather it not be by twenty to thirty minutes each time!"

The child gave a vague response and kept moving. The skeleton reluctantly turned, walking away—taking a shortcut, and ending up on the bridge before the lab, appearing behind Papyrus who looked like he had arrived recently. "Hey Bro," Sans called, causing the taller skeleton to whirl.

"There you are, brother! Is Frisk all right?"

"Guess so," Sans replied. "I talked to them, and they just insisted it was trouble with a monster. I offered to help, but…"

"They refused to accept it," Papyrus concluded, shaking his head. "Honestly…"

"Welp, I tried. Hopefully they save often so we can have this conversation without too many interruptions." With that, he stepped forward, and knocked on the lab door. Papyrus perked, raising a brow as he started to piece things together.

It took a minute, but the door opened, and Alphys timidly looked up, as if expecting to be hit. She opened her mouth to speak, but in the end, she didn't say anything at all. "May we come in, Alphys?" Sans asked quietly. "We need to talk."

Mutely, the lizard stepped out of the way. Sans brushed his way in, while Papyrus looked at her in concern. "Good morning, Alphys. I haven't seen you in a while, I must say, I appreciate that you came down to Snowdin before, your advice was most helpful." Despite his chipper display, she just nodded quietly, keeping her gaze downcast.

Once they were both in, she closed the door, wringing her hands quietly. "Well," Sans murmured, leaning against a wall. "I think the three of us need to talk…about resets."

Alphys squeaked in alarm. "Sans!" she hissed. "Why are you dragging him into this?"

Papyrus perked, and then knelt. "So you're the other that can sense resets—I can't believe neither of us realized there was another who could do that."

"Wh—what?" Alphys stammered.

"Pap has always been able to sense the resets," Sans explained. "I didn't drag him into anything."

"Y—you…you sense the resets," Alphys mumbled numbly.

"But of course," Papyrus replied. "I, the Great Papyrus, am quite able to detect the alternations in time that Frisk creates."

Alphys stumbled away into her chair, clutching her head. "I…I thought, before Sans came along—I thought I…was the only one…"

Sans shook his head. "Looks like you and Pap both got a free-be of sorts…"

Alphys looked up. "Papyrus," she managed shakily. "How much…I thought…about the…"

"Doesn't remember," Sans cut in. "He's like me, vague memories," the small skeleton explained. "This is where things are different," he said as he stepped forward. "Papyrus is not hindered by the resets—but you…you remembered that incident, that had a similar premise to altering time. Perhaps you could explain things to us what's going on…heck, maybe even help us out a bit…"

"But, Sans, if I help with that you—"

"Will what?" he asked, his pupils vanishing, though his voice remained normal. "We'll save them."

"Sans?" Papyrus asked worriedly.

"Heh, you'll understand soon enough, Bro," Sans murmured. "Put it simply, I'm on 'borrowed' time."

"Sans, I don't like how you're wording that—you're making it sound like something will happen to you."

He shrugged. "Who knows," he replied. "That might end up being the case…now Alphys, you know the most, why don't you start from the beginning?"

"Well—"

The three jerked, and Sans found himself against the wall again. Papyrus swiftly reached for his cell phone, getting in contact with the human—but the child insisted that they could handle it—despite his protests. However, they did mention they had seen some more vents, and were wondering if Sans could get them across.

Sans sighed. "Guess I'll go handle that—Alphys, you explain things to him, all right? Try to avoid leaving out details."

"What about your detail?"

"He's going to figure it out eventually," Sans replied simply as he slipped out the back door of the lab. Alphys sighed, and slowly turned back to Papyrus…before starting to explain most of what she knew, judging that there were some details he didn't need to know unless things truly worked out in the end.

* * *

It didn't take too long for Sans to return. "Well, Frisk certainly appreciated that room full of vents. Why, they were just jumping in excitement over it."

"S—sorry," Alphys mumbled.

"So, Pap…up to speed?" Sans asked.

"I think…so…" Papyrus murmured quietly. "Apparently, I knew people who worked as scientists, one of which was Gaster, and his assistant."

Sans glanced to Alphys, realizing she had omitted that the assistance was Papyrus's own brother…wait… The lizard stiffened as she saw a realization dawn on the skeleton's face. She swore she felt her stomach twist. She didn't want to deal with that, but thankfully, he seemed to be keeping quiet for now.

Papyrus began to pace, humming in thought as he did so. "Well, this is all so very confusing. You're telling me that while training to be part of the Royal Guard, these other two…colleagues of mine, were scientists. Dr. Gaster, and his assistant…sorry, I'm repeating myself."

He continued pacing. "And they worked with time—and were erased. Dr. Alphys was thankfully protected, but everyone else—including me forgot, except…"

"You knew you were forgetting," Sans supplied. "So before all your memories vanished, you made the picture to ensure you would still do something for them."

Alphys shook her head. "But wh—what you're doing sounds dangerous—from the so—sounds of it, you're trying to rebuild the machine!"

"Got any better ideas on how to get them back?" Sans asked.

"No—but I got a good idea of how to avoid losing others!" she exclaimed. "By not rebuilding that thing at all!"

"Because something might go wrong," Sans replied. "Understandable…but, why not let me be the tester then?"

"You!?" she and Papyrus exclaimed.

"Why not? I'm not supposed to be in this world at all," he pointed out. "I'm literally expendable."

"Sans, you are not expendable!" Papyrus exclaimed. "It doesn't matter which dimension you're from, we can't just risk you like that!"

"Because?"

"What if we lose you!?" Papyrus exclaimed.

"How are you going to lose me?" Sans replied. "Even if something went wrong, the little kid can reset—"

The three jerked as they were forced into an earlier position. "Again!?" Papyrus exclaimed.

"What the blazes is that kid doing now?" Sans demanded.

"U—um…l—let me see," Alphys stammered as she approached the computer, quickly pulling things up on the monitor. Sans didn't like just how fast she was able to locate the human. They watched, and sure enough, found that the child had run into the Royal Guards.

"Pap—can't you get Undyne to call them off?" Sans demanded.

"No…" he admitted. "She would have done that sooner if she could," he murmured. "Just…well…"

Sans sighed. "What did she do?"

Alphys covered her face.

"What did you do?"

"I l—let her watch an—anime, and there was one where humans had m—mental abilities, and…"

"And so she told the guard that if she ever said anything in a human's favor, she was obviously under mind control."

Sans stared at the two quietly, before drawing a hand over his face. "Oh my god, Alphys, you're just as anime crazy here. And Undyne…" There was a pause, and then a bit of amusement. "Just as…gillable as ever."

"Sans!"

Time reset.

The three hurried back over, watching the human struggle for a third time against the guards; with Papyrus glaring at Sans. "That was uncalled for."

"There is no such thing as an uncalled for pun."

Alphys shook her head. They weren't all that different, honestly…

Though roughed up, Frisk had managed to get past the guards on their third try, with all three staring at just _how_ the child had gotten past. "Well…" Sans mumbled. "That was…unconventional…"

"A—at least they got through?" Alphys asked nervously.

Papyrus hummed. "I have a feeling we'll need to talk to Frisk about their…methods…and—hold on, what's going on?"

Sans stared as the robot from before suddenly came onto the screen, as if he were telling a News Cast. "…Alphys…"

She whined and covered her face. "Why did I have to have visitors today?"

"How many times is he going to come do this?"

"Um…a few more times?"

Papyrus frowned. "Wait, what's this about?"

"Um…I, uh, er…"

"Alphys has a robot set up to simulate danger—and then she gets them out of 'danger'."

Papyrus did a double take. "Alphys!" he chided. "Are you lying to the human?"

"Errm—no—er—yes, but…they're not going to hurt, I swear!" she exclaimed. "Mettaton is just acting, he won't hurt them!"

The skeletons looked at the screen. "…those are bombs…"

"They're f—fake!" Alphys exclaimed, skittering away from them as she grabbed her cell phone. "C—can we hold off on this conversation for a few minutes?" she pleaded.

Papyrus sighed, resting a hand on his head. "Oh goodness…"

The two watched the display as Frisk 'deactivated' bombs, and Alphys 'saved' them from the robot once more. Eventually, she hung up, and looked to them nervously. "S—sorry…"

"Sorry!?" Papyrus exclaimed. "Alphys—why are you even lying to them? Why are you doing…" He tried to find a word, but gave up as he tossed his arms up in exasperation. "This!?"

"You wouldn't understand…"

"Try us," Sans replied as he put his hands in his pockets.

Alphys sighed.

"If you don't," Sans murmured. "We'll definitely tell the Kid—"

"No!" she exclaimed.

"Sans, don't threaten her!" Papyrus scolded.

"But you would tell Frisk, wouldn't you?"

"Well…yes…but, I wouldn't put it the way you just did…"

Alphys sighed, drooping. "I'm…I'm sorry, I just—I just…look at the human. They're on a grand adventure through our Kingdom…they're meeting so many people on that adventure, I just…I just wanted…to be a part of it. Not just to guide them, but to protect them…and…befriend them. But look at me…"

She raised her arms, before letting them drop to her sides. "I'm not much. Just a small monster that can't defend herself. Not in a fight…not with words…I'm a pushover…I can't… I haven't been able to do anything right in a long time. Maybe it's just another mistake…but…I wanted to enjoy it before it did become my next mistake."

Papyrus frowned. "Now, wait a minute, Alphys! You are far too hard on yourself! You are a brilliant doctor, why, just look at the puzzle you made in Snowdin—all of those combinations it can produce. You say you make mistakes, but I haven't seen any. Look at Mettaton—you made a robot with a soul."

 _'I don't know, Pap,'_ Sans muttered to himself. _'That seemed like a mistake to me.'_ He thankfully didn't say anything out loud, knowing that his words wouldn't help in this instant.

"Truly, Alphys, how someone as great as you can put themselves down so low is beyond me. While I do frown upon the lie, I do think you need to build some self-confidence…"

"Meaning…?" she asked nervously.

"If you promise to tell the human yourself about this whole thing…" Papyrus sighed. "I'll allow you to continue with this thing. If it'll help you feel better about yourself, than you should go for it."

"Y…you're letting me go…?" she asked as Sans got a phone call, quietly disappearing.

"For now—but you have to promise me that you'll explain this all to Frisk when you're done."

Sans returned as she nodded. "I…I will tell them. Though I prefer to wait for them to near the barrier."

"And why's that?" Papyrus asked.

"Because…if they end up hating me, then we don't have to see each other again."

Papyrus was about to make a response—but before he could get far—things had reset once more.


End file.
